LIFE 



AND 



ADVENTURES 



IN 



SOUTH FLORIDA 



BY 

ANDREW P. CANOVA, 

OF ST. PETERSBURG, 

ASSISTED BY L. S. PERKINS, 

WITH AN 
INTRODUCTION BY 



•«' 



HON. ROBT. W. DAVIS. 



TAMI'A, fi-orida: 

TRIBUNE PRINTING CO 

1906. 



,0^3 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1885, by An- 
drew P. Canova and L. Sanders Perkins, in the office of 
the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 






'^ 



ANDREW P. CANOVA. 



TO 
MY COMPANIONS-INARMS, 
AND 
OTHERS WHO FOUGHT FOR THE PEACE AND PROTEC- 
TION OF FLORIDA, THIS LITTLE VOLUME 
IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. 

ANDREW P. CANOVA. 



NTRODUCTION. 



Most of the sketches contained in this collection were con- 
tributed by Mr. Andrew P. Canova, the author, to the Southern 
Sun. of Palatka, and attracted very general and favorable atten- 
tion. While never intended by Mr. Canova for other than weekly 
newspaper articles, the suggestion of their permanent preserva- 
tion in some collected form was so often made him that he 
finally consented to give them to the public in this little volume. 
It graphically deals with a phase of life in Florida which will no- 
where else be found. 

DeBry and Barcia and Fernandez and Spragae have written 
at different times of different epochs, and in several different 
languages, descriptive sketches and snatches of our history, 
while Mr. Fairbanks, in his excellent book, has taken us along 
with entertainment and instruction from those early days which 
knew Juan Ponce de Leon and Menendez, to the tim^s of Worth 
and Gaines and Clinch. 

But it is left to Mr. Canova to pen-paint the scenes and inci- 
dents of soldier-life and adventure during the Indian War, ai:d 
to describe those Hardships which the soldier experienced in 
morass and tangled scrub, or those pleasures he eiijoj^d in 
bivouac and camp. Hunting adventures, too — and Indian life — 
•those fascinating realities which cover themselves with a halo 
of ix)niance. The life of the early ''settler," when the bear and 
panther roamed the wilds of a then sparcely inhabited State. 
These features are all touched with an unpretentious but smooth- 
ly-gliding pen, and make enchanting reading for Floridians of 
today — today, when immigration from North and South and East 
and West has filled or is rapidly filling our waste places — when 
the palatial steamboat plies the waters where once quietly glided 
the canoe, and when the scream of the locomotive is borne upon 
the balmy southern air where once the warwhoop of the red man 
resounded. Very respectfully, 

ROBT. W. DAVIS. 

Palatka. Fla., Oct. 20, 1885. 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA, 



RARX 1. 



REMINISCENCES OF A TRIP THROUGH THE EVERGLADES 
AND SOUTH FLORIDA, DURING THE 
LAST INDIAN WAR. 



CHAPTER I. 



HOW THE LAST INDIAN WAR BROKE OUT.— MY FIRST 
ADVENTURE. 

In the following pages I shall give, with all possible 
accuracy, my adventures during the last Indian war, and 
it shall be a description of personal experiences and ob- 
servations, rather than a history of the war itself. In 
writing a strictly truthful account of the scenes through 
which I passed, as a private soldier, in the campaign of 
1855-8, through the extreme southern portion of the State, 
I shall hope to give the reader a view of the subject from 
a new and original standpoint. In placing this series of 
sketches before the public, of course I must say some- 
thing about the way the war started. 

Since the close of the first and greatest war with the 
Seminoles, there had been two outbreaks — one in 1849, Jr 
and the other in 1855. This last war is the one wjti ^ ^^^ 
which we now have to deal, and according to the ^p^t 
authentic accounts, the trouble be^an on the mornii 




6 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

December 24, by the wounding of Lieutenant Hartsoff 
and his men, by Billy Bowlegs. 

Lieutenant Hartsoff was a civil engineer, who had been 
establishing some land-lines, near the border of the Big 
Cypress, in Fort Simon Drum Prairie. Hartsoff and his 
corps of assistants were encamped near a small body of 
water known as Bonnet Pond'. Bowlegs had a garden 
in the Big Cypress, about two miles away. (This Indian 
was a noted chief among the Seminoles, and stood at the 
head of the whole tribe. He was a short, powerfully 
built man, but his physical endowments were insignifi- 
cant in comparison with those of Saffaj-eehojee, his lieu- 
tenant and ''right bower." This Indian was a ''show" in 
himself.) Among other products of this garden were 
some magnificent banana plants, which were the delight 
and solace of the chief's heart. • He had reared them with 
parental care, until they were fully fifteen feet high, and 
he was jealous of his darlings. 

But some of Hartsoft"s men (like a good many of us) 
couldn't keep their hands off the beauties, and when Bow- 
legs came through the early mist, bathing his stalwart 
ankles in the dew, one morning, coming to his beloved 
garden, he was surprised and shocked to find the banana 
plants, once so tall and graceful, with leaves torn to 
shreds, and some of the stalks broken short off at the 
ground by some ruthless hand. Bowlegs knew at once 
where the blame lay. 

Going to Hartsoff's camp, he accused the men of the 
outrage. They admitted it with the utmost coolness, but 
signified no intention of making good the loss, nor of giv- 
ing any cause for their actions, other than that they 
wanted to see how "Old Billy would cut up." When 
Billy saw that remonstrance and complaint were useless, 
he went back and summoned his braves together. "Hyee- 
fus ! Eestahotka holiwaugus !" was the war-cry. Early 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 7 

next morning Lieutenant Hartsoff and his men were 
fired upon, and some of them were wounded. 

Hartsoff ran into the water, but began emptying his 
Colt's revolver at the Indians, who were soon dismayed 
by the strange weapon, which did not seem to require 
loading, but which seemed to them to be able to kill 
every one of them, while they were loading their rifles. 
It was, the first revolver they had seen, and Bowlegs 
promised to cease firing if Hartsoff would come out and 
show his pistol. This ruse did not succeed, and the Indi- 
ans retreated. 

Hartsoff was badly wounded, but rallied his strength 
and wrote an account of the aft'air, to be used in case of 
his death. Meanwhile one of the men (also wounded) 
set out for Fort Myers, sixty miles away, to convey the 
news of the outbreak. In as short a time as possible a 
company was dispatched to the scene of the fray, and 
when they got there they found Hartsoff still alive, but 
in a critical condition. He was carried to Fort Myers 
together with his comrades who had been wounded, and 
taken care of in the hospital there. 

War was then proclaimed against the Seminole In- 
dians of Florida. Like a flash of electricity the news 
encircled and permeated the South, and Billy Bowlegs 
became the target of every pioneer's rifle. I enlisted in 
1856, and did what I could for the honor and glory of 
my native State. But my life was rather a tame one 
for the first year of my service. The next year was more 
eventful. 

In the early part of July, 1857, a boat company, con- 
sisting of forty-five men, commanded by Capt. Jacob 
Mickler, were mustered into the volunteer service of the 
United States, at Fort Brooke, now called Tampa. Nine 
metallic boats had been provided, for transporting the 
soldiers down the Kissimmee river, while hunting the 
Seminole Indians. I was mustered in with this company, 



8 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. . 

and cast my lot with those who were preparing to enter 
that great, unknown wilderness — the Everglades. 

The boats were hauled on wagons to Fort Kissimmee, 
a distance of eighty-five miles. Nothing of importance 
occurred on this trip, beyond the killing of several deer 
and turkeys, which furnished us with an abundance of 
food. Striking the river at Fort Kissimmee, we encamped 
for the night. Strange to say, we were not annoyed in 
the least by mosquitoes, although it was near mid-sum- 
mer. Next morning we launched our boats on the waters 
of the Kissimmee, and steered away into the wild passes 
of the river, toward the great Okeechobee lake. 

Having the current in our favor, we proceeded on our 
way without any difficulty. I had heard of alligators — of 
rusty old monsters, equal to trees in size, and vicious as 
wolves — but I was not prepared for the sight that met my 
gaze, as our boats passed down the Kissimmee. To say 
that they were lying on the banks as thick as leaves in an 
autumn forest, would be scarcely an exaggeration. As 
to their size, I hardly wish to attempt to give you a de- 
scription. They were quietly sleeping on the banks, as 
we went along, and as the plashing of our oars waked 
them, they plunged into the water ahead of us, almost 
capsizing our boats at times. As the report of a gun at 
that time would have very likely had the efifect of alarm- 
ing the sagacious redskins, our captain allowed no one 
to shoot at the alligators. 

After traveling some twenty-five miles, we landed at 
Fort Bassinger and struck camp for the night. We had 
been plentifully supplied with mosquito nets, but found 
that we could dispense with them at this place entirely. 
The width of the river here was about seventy yards, 
and so crooked that one might travel in a boat five or 
six miles, land, and walk half a mile, and come to the 
point he started from. The land at Fort Bassinger was 
found to be rich hammock, covered with a heavy growth 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 9 

of live oak and cabbage palm. Early in the morning we 
proceeded on our way and reached the lake about noon. 

The river, here, ran between two banks of almost im- 
penetrable saw-grass, through which it emptied into the 
Okeechobee lake. As we rode out on the bosom of this 
inland sea, the view reminded us of the ocean, for the 
waters stretched away, until they were lost in the horizon 
beyond. Myriads of white and blue heron and water- 
turkeys were flying to and fro, or feeding among the 
rushes and lily pads. 

About two miles from the mouth of the river, we found 
a beautiful camping spot. It was a hammock which ex- 
tended to the water's edge, and was bordered by a nice, 
white, sandy beach. Under a canopy of overhanging oak 
and rubber-tree boughs, we pitched our tents and enjoyed 
a substantial dinner. Our men had caught some fine 
bass, and, with a desert of papaws and rubber-tree fruit, 
w^e fared sumptuously. The fruit of the Ficus'elasticus, 
or rubber-tree, is somewhat similar in size and flavor 
to an ordinary Marseilles fig. The papaw, we found 
growing on a small tree, about ten feet in height, the 
fruit adhering closely to the trunk. The pulp has a 
sweet, aromatic taste, reminding one of a muskmelon. 

Our headquarters were established here for the time 
being, and arrangements made for a week's encamp- 
ment. All hands were hearty and eager for ''business," 
now that* we had entered the stronghold of the enemy. 

Next morning, bright and early, Captain Mickler se- 
lected thirty men. Leaving the others to guard the 
camps, and taking six of the boats, our little fleet steered 
toward an island about four miles distant. Here, we con- 
fidently expected to capture a lot of Indians. We could 
not make much headway, on account of large masses of 
floating water-lettuce. Striking open water again, we 
proceeded about half a mile, and came to the mouth of a 
small creek, which was overhung with cypress branches, 



10 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

SO low that it was with difficulty that we could pass 
under them. Here we found unmistakable signs of In- 
dian encampments ; shells of freshly roasted water-terra- 
pins (commonly called "cooters") were found, and many 
tracks were to be seen, showing that large numbers of 
the red savages had been in that locality a short time 
before. 

Proceeding a little farther, we discovered a large canoe 
which, as we afterward learned, had been captured from 
a company of regulars who had been cruising on the lake. 
A trail led from this spot to an island in the saw-grass, 
about a mile distant. At this juncture our captain 
climbed a tree, for the purpose of taking a view of the 
surroundings. As his eye fell on the island, he exclaimed : 
"Boys, there are Indians on that island, and no mis- 
take, for the leaves of the oak trees over there look as 
though they had been blackened with smoke. We will 
swoop down on the rascals and 'gather them in.' '' 

He hastened down the tree and picked out a squad of 
about seven men, and ordered them^ to guard the boats. 
The rest of us then followed the trail that led to the hid- 
ing-place of the Indians. The saw-grass v/as much . 
higher than our heads, and the ground very boggy ; we 
had to step from one fern ''tussock" to another in order 
to keep above water; and any one failing to gain a foot- 
hold, was precipitated up to his waist in .the mud. 

When we had advanced to within a few hundred yards 
of our destination. Captain Mickler ordered a halt, and, 
in a low voice, issued commands to one of the party to 
take charge of a company of ten men and' proceed to the 
north side of the island, and to remain there until orders 
were given for a final charge. The man to whom this 
maneuver was intrusted, was a daring and fearless South- 
erner, named James Cook, who had given unmistakable 
proofs of intrepidity and courage, during the short time 
he had been with us. In such a foe as this, the wily sav- 



CHAPTER II. 

OUR FIRST CAPTURE OF INDIANS— AN UGLY CUSTOMER. 

Our captain, in order to allow Cook and his men to 
reach their destination and get in readiness for the charge, 
waited a few minutes, and then ordered an advance. 
When we were within fifty yards of the island, the sound 
of an axe was heard, and a moment afterward, the keen 
crack of a rifle broken on our ears. 

Hastening forward, we found the doughty James Cook 
standing guard over a half dozen squaws and "picka- 
ninies." He had surprised and captured them, as they 
were preparing dinner. After hanging the venison pots 
over the fire, they had taken a rest, and were lounging 
on a rude scaffolding of poles and cabbage-palm leaves. 
Some of the squaws attempted to escape by hiding in the 
tall :;riv/-grass, but a few shots from our rifles soon 
brought them to terms, and it was an easy matter to find 
and capture them. The women, although badly fright- 
ened, remained sullen and silent, but the "pickaninies" 
(children) set up a howl that would have done credit to 
a horde of young hyenas. The poor creatures had been 
fearfully cut and lacerated, by running through the tall 
saw-grass, and their faces were, as Jim Cook said, "a 
reg'lar sight." 

Jim Cook seemed to be anxious to give them an ade- 
quate idea of his wrath toward them, and held his rifle in 
alarmingly close proximity to their heads, while he 
shouted : 

"Jist budge a quarter of a inch, will you? Yah triflin', 
des-peekable low-liver critters! Open them 'are long 
yappin' jaws o' yourn jist one time, and .1 wisher may die 
if I don't knock ye deader'n Hec." 



14 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

And a sulphurous light gleamed in his eye that meant 
business. The squaws, disregarding his last injunction, 
began jabbering a mixture of English and Seminole; one 
old squaw kept repeating : 

"White man holiwaugus (no good) ; umcah, loxidok- 
schay — lie heap. Umcah ; eesta-hotka — white man no 
hurt hopeta (squaw) eesta-chatta." 

From this highly intelligent discourse, we inferred 
that 'the dusky ladies were trying to make negotiations 
for peace. The irate Jim would fain have made them feel 
the weight of his strong right arm, but as he was no 
coward, he restrained himself, and was content with the 
remark that, even if they were "pesky, low-down Sem- 
inole Injins," they were women, and he never could 
"strike a 'ummern." 

Hung over the fire were some brass kettles, in which 
they had been cooking dinner, when we surprised them. 
Near by were several baskets woven of wire-grass, full of 
huckleberries and other wild fruit. Hanging in one of 
the wigwams were two chiefs' costumes, richly embroid- 
ered with beads. Some breast-plates, hammered out of 
silver dollars, were also found. We made a dash for 
these, and I was fortunate enough to secure one of these 
costumes. This consisted of a sort of a waistcoat, a 
pair of leggings and moccasins, and a sash. Each article 
was covered with elaborate designs, worked in beads and 
silk, representing birds, fishes, etc., and must have cost 
much time and patience. 

We were again put on our guard by the sound of de- 
fiance yells, coming from the distance, and put ourselves 
in readiness to withstand an attack, as it was natural to 
suppose that the warriors, who had left this camp, were 
returning, and that they would be ready for battle when 
they came. They did not put in an appearance, however, 
during our stay. 

This island was circular in shape, and contained about 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 15 

an acre. It was siirounded by a belt of timber, which 
completely hid its occupants from the si.e^ht of enemies- 
approaching from the outside. Within this circle, all 
the timber, with the exception of a few large live oaks 
and cabbage-palms, had been cleared away, and the 
ground was in a high state of cultivation. Fine corn, 
beans, and pumpkins were growing underneath the live 
oaks ; ihe vines had climbed the trees, and the immense 
pumpkins hung from tl e limbs, presenting a strange ap- 
pearance. 

Among our prisoners was a boy about twelve years of 
age, named E-chepko, whose duty it had been to post 
himself in a tall hackberry tree, and gave warning, in 
case of the approach of an enemy. A feeling of com- 
plete security had caused him to neglect his duty on this 
eventful morning, and a surprise and capture was the 
result. 

After satisfying ourselves that the warriors, were not 
coming, as we had expected, preparations were made to 
carry our prisoners to the boats. They were all easily 
managed, except one old squaw, who manifested a de- 
cided reluctance in accepting our escort. In the words of 
an old song : 

"She couldn't and she wouldn't, and she shouldn't come at all." 

James Cook, who took her in charge, then said, ''Come 
on, old gal, and let's go to the boats." As she did not 
accept Jim's profifered arm, that worthy caught her by the 
shoulder, and attempted to push her forward. In vain. 
She set her foot firmly on the soil, and resisted all at- 
tempts to move her. As a final stroke, she laid herself 
flat on the ground, and, rolling her savage red eye around, 
scowled defiantly at Jim. He flew into a rn-^c at this, 
and, whipping out his bowie-knife, he. drew it lightly 
across her throat ; then, with an oath that wi^uld have 



16 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

made an alligator turn pale, he gave her to understand 
what would be her portion if she didn't submit. 

"Don't kyarve the old critter," exclaimed a soldier, in 
a compassionate tone. "If ye kill 'er, we hain't agwine to 
git that two hundred and fifty from the Guv'ment. No; 
jist wait till the 'thorities gits hold of 'er; let 'er jibe if 
ye kin, old boy, till we can git 'er into camp. We'll help 
ye tote 'er ef we can't git 'er along nary nother way." 

She was "taken up tenderly, lifted with care," by four 
men, who had been detailed to that duty. Two seized 
her arms, and the other two laid hold of her feet ; still, 
it was no easy task to carry the vicious old creature. She 
snapped like a turtle, and grunted like an angry sow. 

Just as we started back with our captives, we were 
startled by the report of a gun, in the direction of the men 
who had been left at the boats. When we arrived at that 
place, it was discovered that an accident had happened. 
One of the men was floundering around in the mud at a 
great rate, and groaning loudly. It appeared that one of 
the men had handled his rifle carelessly, and the result 
of it was that he had wounded the man in front of him, 
The man, whose name was Turnipseed, received a severe 
flesh-wound, which caused him much pain, but there was 
no danger to be apprehended. Beyond a slight halt in 
his gait, and an inability to rest otherwise than by lying 
on his side, he did not give much evidence of having been 
the first to fall on the battlefield. In a week he was as 
spry as any of us, but I believe he selected somebody else 
to walk behind him. 

We placed our dusky prisoners in the boats, and 
steered for camp. Close watch was kept over them lest 
one should escape, for each represented two hundred and 
fifty dollars. We had fifteen of them, which amounted, 
in all, to about three thousand seven hundred dollars. 

They made no demonstrations on the journey; indeed, 
some of the squaws became friendly and communicative. 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 17 

and even smiled, at intervals. The children, however, 
kept up a dolorous wail the entire distance. One of the 
girls, about ten years of age— a half-breed of Spanish and 
Seminole— was really pretty. She had an intelligent ap- 
pearance, an olive-brown complexion, and long chestnut 
hair, that would have been the pride and glory of many an 
English girl. When we rowed out into Okeechobee one 
of the squaws pointed to an island far out on the bosom 
of the lake, which she said was the girl's birth-place. 
Pinnewa (the girl) was hardly less wild and untutored 
than the herons and egrets that, like her, claimed the 
islands and marshes for a home. She had never seen 
white men before, and she looked long and earnestly at 
the fair faces and flowing beards of our soldiers, as if she 
thought them very agreeable, if not handsome. And as I 
looked on her soft, rounded cheek — almost the tint of a 
ripe mango — I could not wonder that the proud-souled 
son of Castile had deigned to call this wild bird of the 
marshes his daughter. 

Arriving at our camp, we assigned the prisoners to 
their tents, and set a watch over them. The old squaw 
who had caused us so much trouble had quieted down so 
far as to allow herself to be led from the boat wUliout 
making any resistance. 

When dinner was served we all sat down together — 
white and red, and captor and captive — with appetites 
sharpened by the morning's exercise, partook heartily of 
pork and beans, hard-tack and cofifee, garnished with side- 
dishes of cooter and soft-shell turtle, finished up with a 
dessert of papaws and rubber-tree fruit. 



CHAPTER III. 

A DISAGREEABLE JOURNEY, AND AN ENCAMPMENT 
AMONG THE ALLIGATORS. 

We passed that afternoon fishing and hunting, (hic 
of the men, a half-breed named Andrew Wiggins, hnd 
quite a reputation among the soldiers as a hunter. 11'.- 
never failed to bring in a deer, when once he got out on 
the war-path. In hunting this game, he had a wriv of 
uttering a peculiar call, which would decoy the unsus- 
pecting buck within easy range of his rifle. Other of tlie 
soldiers spent the time trading rings, ear-bobs and other 
trinkets with squaws, for beads and moccasins Th.c 
children had fully recovered from their fright, and were 
rolling and tumbling m the waters of the lake. 

From the squaws we learned that the warriors belong- 
ing to their camp were on a scouting expedition to Pease 
Creek, about a hundred miles distant, and that they 
would return within two moons. Next morning. Captain 
Mickler ordered preparations for departure. The boats, 
which were none too commodious at first, were loaded 
to the gunwales. To add to our discomfiture,^ a heavy 
wind arose, when we were five miles out. The great 
''white caps" appeared on the water, and I never saw 
larger waves on the ocean than those were on Lake 
Okeechobee. The boats rolled and pitched around in 
an alarming manner, and nearly every Indian was writh- 
ing in the bottom of the boats, suffering the agonies of 
sea-sickness. At last we were compelled to run into the 
saw-grass to save ourselves. 

The wind did not lull until night. It was then too 
dark to travel, and there was no land in sight ; so we were 



20 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

obliged to spend the night in the boats as best we could. 
The children set np a howl at intervals, and the squaws 
industriously spanked them into silence. I had always 
entertained the idea that the Seminoles were an uncleanly 
set of creatures, but when I saw the repeated dippings 
the children received at the hands of the squaws, I began 
to think differently. The pickaninnies were held over 
the side of the boats and soused up to their eyes at least 
a dozen times during the journey. The little Spartans 
took the treatment heroically, seeming rather to enjoy it. 
As the boats sped along the little fellows were let into the 
water and held by one hand. It might seem as though 
there was some danger in this proceedure, but perhaps 
Jim Cook arrived at a correct view of the case when he 
averred that ''the faces of them there Injin squaws is so 
tarnation ugly that they'd skeer away the sassiest 'gator 
that ever growed." About ten o'clock next morning we 
arrived at the mouth of Fish-eating Creek, and found 
such a mass of floating "lettuce" ahead of us that we could 
not travel any farther by the ordinary means. It was 
simply impossible to propel the boats with oars, so we 
were compelled to fasten lines and tow them from the 
river bank. A man was left in each boat for the purpose 
of steering clear of the shore. Our tow-path was covered 
with about six inches of green, stagnant water. Millions 
of deer flies swarmed around us, and their keen bites, 
which we could not hinder, on account of pulling on the 
towline, made us envy the fortunate quadrupeds, who 
are furnished with tails to defend themselves from the 
murderous attacks of these insects. 

Suddenly a sound of curses, loud and deep, broke on 
my ears. Some of the men were stamping around like 
mad, and began tearing ofif their boots. Soon an intoler- 
able itching commenced on my feet, and I learned the 
cause of the men's strange actions. We came to a halt, 
and in a few nioments the whole company were bare- 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 21 

footed, scratching and pawing their feet as if for dear life. 
But the more we scratched and pawed, the more unbear- 
able became the itching, until, at last, our feet felt as if 
they were on fire. We all recognized the importance of 
getting out of that water, and Jim Cook gave such heroic 
jumps that one might have supposed that he was trying 
to perform the trick of keeping both feet out of the water 
at once. 

To repeat all of his remarks on this occasion would be 
rather out of place here. His contortions were fearful to 
look upon, and his face w^as wreathed in a fiendish grin 
of mingled pain and satisfaction as he rubbed and scrub- 
bed his prurient heels. At last he yelled, "Pards, I'll be 
everlastin'ly dad-blamed if these 'ere * * varmints 
ain't eatin' me bodaciously up! Let's quit scratchin' and 
pole on; scratchin' don't do no good — hit only makes 'em 
wusser." 

Jim was right ; the trouble was greatly increased by 
scratching. Putting on our boots, we were soon out of 
the water, when the itching ceased. The irritation must 
have been caused by some poisonous substance in the 
water, although Jim stoutly contended that it was "var- 
mints," and swore that he saw the little creatures swim- 
ming around in the water. 

We arrived at Fort Center near sunset. Here we 
found a company of regulars, who welcomed us heartily, 
and were much surprised at our success. The Indians 
seemed grateful for ^n opportunity to stretch themselves 
out on the dry ground once more, and we were soon 
seated around the campfire, chatting of our adventures 
and drinking strong, black cofifee, such as only soldiers 
can make. 

Our captives were placed in comfortable quarters, and 
we spread our blankets near the stream, and lay down to 
sleep, wath no other covering than the sky above us. It 
was midsummer, and the air was warm and sultry, but 



22 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

we were not troubled with mosquitoes. A million frogs 
were singing, groaning and croaking around us, but they 
could only lull us to sleep. We had worked hard all day 
at the oars, and were soon snoring like good fellows. 

While we were sleeping there by the side of the 
stream, we did not dream of the red enemy, in whose land 
we were encamped, nor did we imagine that the dark 
bodies of huge alligators were gliding around us. No ; 
the "soldier's dream of home'' brought us visions of wives 
and mothers, rejoicing at our return from the perilous 
battlefield. But the slimy monsters were creeping around 
us, for what purpose, I cannot say ; perhaps they were 
trying to discover what strange being had come among 
them ; maybe they were seeking companionship, although 
I never knew that the alligator possessed such an inclina- 
tion for human society. The probable truth of the mat- 
ter is, that the huge saurians were searching for bits of 
meat and bread, lying around the camp. It is said that 
the alligator is very fond of young Seminoles, and has 
been known to watch around where the pickaninnies 
were bathing, for the purpose of seizing and caressing 
the little red cherubs. One peculiar feature of that kind 
of business is that the little Indians are never seen any 
more. Where they go, nobody can tell. 

Possibly we never would have known anything about 
the scaly rascals being in our camp, if one of the men had 
not made the discovery. This man, while asleep, threw 
his arm outward, and his hand alighted on something 
so rough, cold and slimy that he instantly awoke. He 
felt a fetid breath blowing on him, and, turning his head, 
he looked right into the jaws of a large alligator, whose 
cold gray eyes glittered in the moonlight. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ANOTHER VOYAGE, AND ANOTHER DISCOVERY. 

Figuratively, the soldier was frozen stiff with horror 
for a moment, but when he recovered, he opened his 
mouth to its utmost capacity, and gave such a yell that 
every man in camp was awakened. We all jumped to 
our feet and clutched our guns, for we thought the red 
devils were upon us. Ed. Marr, the man whose shout 
of terror had awakened us, endeavored to tell us what the 
trouble was, but some of the men were running wildly 
around exclaiming: 

''Where are they? Where are the Indians?" and it 
was some time before everything was quiet again. The 
alligators, frightened by the noise, dropped into the 
stream and easily escaped. 

In the morning the captain of the regulars furnished 
US with a wagon for the purpose of carrying our captives 
to Fort Myers, where the Indian agent was stationed. 
Fifteen men were detailed as a guard, and I was one of 
the number. We set out early, and camped near Fort 
Denaud that night. A heavy rain set in about the middle 
of the afternoon and continued all night. We had no 
tents, and were obliged to lie down and endure the pelt- 
ing storm. I lay down by a pine log, covered my face 
with my hat, and took a rather moist nap. About two 
o'clock in the morning I waked up, and could not move a 
limb, and it was several minutes before I could turn 
my head. As soon as I could get up, I collected a few 
light-wood knots and built a fire. We were anxious to 
reach Fort Myers, and bent all our energies to the task 
of getting there that day. 



24 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

At noon we camped near a scrub hammock. Andrew 
Wiggins, of course, had to take his gun and scour the 
woods in search of game. He crept softly as a tiger 
through the desert rosemary and slanting spruce of the 
scrub, and kept his eagle eye on the lookout for deer and 
turkey. He glided along on his hands and knees, and 
then stopped and listened, at interval3. Finally he heard 
strange sounds coming from a thicket a few hundred 
yards distant. Springing to his feet he ran to the spot, 
and as he came nearer the terrific growl of the black bear 
and the fierce scream of the panther broke on his ear. He 
saw the bear standing on his haunches, and the panther 
crouching near by ; in an instant the panther sprang at 
her enemy, and a stream of blood began trickling down 
the bear's side. With an intermission of only a few 
moments the panther renewed the attack, and the bear 
reached out eagerly for his adversary, who was just a 
little too quick for him. At last the panther mad;e a false 
move, and the bear clasped him in his hideous embrace. 
With one sweep of a paw, he disemboweled his foe, who 
lay gasping in the last throes of death. The bear's vic- 
tory was short-lived, however, for Wiggins laid him low 
with a bullet form his rifle. Wiggins said that the com- 
batants had beaten down nearly half an acre of the scrub. 

The triumphant hunter skinned the bear, and dexter- 
ously severing a hind quarter, shouldered it and carried it 
into camp. We were pleased at the prospect of a "bait" 
of jerked bear, but our joy was nothing compared to that 
of the Indian squaws, who reared themselves up in the 
wagon and espied .Wiggins with the precious freight, 
coming in the distance. With nostrils extended, and 
teeth unsheathed, they scented the feast "from afar off." 

"Easta-hotka, get lokasee !" was their rapturous ex- 
clamation. "Lokasee" is the Seminole word for bear, 
and among their pigeon-like chattering, the word was 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 25 

• 
many times repeated. "Umcah, lokasee good, ojus ; cook 
'em quick; eat littlum raw." 

They wished us to understand that we need not wait 
to cook it, as far as they were concerned ; that they were 
not so fastidious as the "easta-hotka," or white man. We 
set some stakes over the fire and began broihng huge 
slices of meat, while some of the men were sent along 
with Wiggins for the purpose of carrying back the re- 
mainder of the bear. After a glorious feast we contin- 
ued our journey, and at noon the next day we reached 
Fort Myers. Here we found the agent and transferred 
the prisoners to him. The squaws had expected to meet 
the warriors at this place, and began wailing piteously 
when they found themselves disappointed. They bade us 
a tearful good-by, and shook hands with us in a very 
friendly manner. But they were inconsolable for the loss 
of their warriors. We tried to encourage and cheer them 
by telling them that the eesta-chattas would soon cheer 
them with their presence. When we left they were wan- 
dering to and fro, crying together like children. 

Before long we joined our comrades at the camp on 
Fish-Eating creek, and together we went on another 
Indian chase. 

This time we bent our course to the east side of Lake 
Okeechobee, and searched closely every hammock as we 
went along, for our "blood was up," and nothing but 
another wholesale capture of Indians would satisfy us. 

We made our boats fly through the water as fast as 
oars and blankets (for sails) could make them go. Jim 
Cook commanded one of the boats, and every few min- 
utes went ashore and examined the land for ''Injin signs." 
Finally his keen eye fell upon tracks, in the sand of the 
beach. With a smothered chuckle of satisfaction, he sig- 
nalled the good news to Captain Mickler,. who immedi- 
ately steered for the shore. Our captain, after examining 
the tracks, ordered the men back to the boats, and, to 



26 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

Jim's disappointment, the journey was resumed. After 
we had gone a mile or more, we encountered something 
else which attracted our attention. * I was lounging at 
the bow of the front boat, and, of course, was able to 
make discoveries before the others. Underneath a group 
of custard-apple trees, which were growing in the water 
near the beach, I saw a blue rag fluttering in the breeze, 
and called Captain Mickler's attention to it. Immedi- 
ately afterward I saw a canoe tied up close to the shore. 
Our captain ordered the boat to be put about, and we 
pulled for the shore. Before we reached the land a squaw 
appeared and waded out to the end of the canoe above 
mentioned, and hung a shot-bag over the stern of the 
boat. This was the truce of peace, and was understood 
hy all of us. 

When we landed, all of us had our arms in readiness 
for battle, and some of the men were eager for the fray. 
The squaw w'as exceedingly grim and uncommunicative. 
She utterly refused to tell where her better half was, and 
perhaps things would have gone a little rough with her 
if it had not been for a discovery made by one of the men. 
While hunting in the dry grass and thickets near the 
water, he espied a dark form, lying half hidden in a clump 
of custard-apple bushes. Beckoning one of the men to 
him, the two crept silently upon the unsuspecting red- 
skin. 



CHAPTER \'. 

A FLORIDA DELICACY— NOVEL METHOD OF SECURING 

GAME. 

The Indian, who had been sleeping "the sleep of the 
just." and lay wrapped in dreams while his captors were 
stealing upon him, was rudely awakened by an uncere- 
monious "laying on of hands." He turned his affrighted 
^aze toward the men, and, seeing there was no hope of 
escape, a diplomatic grin overspread his features, and he 
rose to his feet, held out his hand, saying: "How do? 
How^ you do 

"Well, we're a-doin' first rate, and you'd better thank 
goodness that you're a-doin' at all. What's your name, 
anyhow, you dirty, half-made, sneakin' whelp !" 

"My name Tommie ; me Seminole, good, too much. 
Me not hurt eesta-hotka — me good, ojus, too much, 
umcah." 

"Well, Tommie," said Captain Mickler, "where were 
you going." 

"Goin' to coontee-sassalicllober.'' 

"Where are all the other Indians." 

"All gone to coontee-sassahollober," he repeated, 
pointing in the direction of the Big Cypress. He seemed 
willing to give us information about his peoi)le, and did 
not exhibit any of that surly, taciturn disposition that 
was shown by the majority of the Indians. His wife, 
however, had quite a serious cast of countenance, and 
kept her little boy close by her side, occasionally speak- 
ing to him in a low voice, in Seminole. When asked 
about the number of Indians in the neighborhood, he 



28 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

replied by shaking his head and saying, "Sookkus-chay," 
which is the Indian word for departing. 

We noticed some pots hanging over the fire, and upon 
examining one, we found that it contained "cabbage 
permeeter." The fragrant odor that arose therefrom 
told us that it was a luxury never to be forgotten when 
once tasted. The manner of procuring the "permeeter" 
is as follows : A thrifty young cabbage-palm tree is 
selected, and with an ax, the leaf-stems are cut oiT. 
About the spot, on the trunk of the palm tree, where the 
leaf-stems begin to wither and die, is where the chop- 
ping must be done. If it is cut lower than this, the bit- 
ter, woody part will be included, and if higher, the ten- 
der germinal bud will be lost, or sliced up in such a 
manner as to be hardly fit for food. Having felled the 
trunk, the sheathing leaf-stems are separated, and soon 
the snow-white "bud" is visible. This, in a thrifty spec- 
imen, is about eighteen inches long, four inches in diam- 
et,er, and cylindrical, with a bulge at the base. It is so 
brittle that a large piece of is can be broken up easily^ 
with the fingers ; is as smooth as glass, and whiter than 
ivory. .When raw, the bud resembles a green chestnut 
in taste. But let it once be properly cooked ; stewed with 
ham or breakfast bacon, and served with cream and but- 
ter, with a sprinkling of pepper — oysters, green corn and 
pumpkin pie sing into insignificance. A lingering, "soul- 
filling, hunger-killing" sensation is experienced, as the 
gastronomist takes his first bite. I am speaking in earn- 
est, when I say that palmetto cabbage is the raciest, most 
toothsome dish that ever came to my acquaintance since 
I was old enough to know what it was. Even as I write, 
I long to toss my pen aside and rush into the wild ham- 
mocks, where the coveted delicacy grows in abundance. 

The other pot contained "comptie." I cannot well 
tell just what that is, for I don't think there is anything 
like it growing in the North. It is the root of a plant 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 29 

that is found in immense quantities in South Florida. 
The roots are macerated in a mortar, and a fine quahty 
of flour is obtained, which contains a very large percent- 
age of starch. When cooked it resembles arrowroot in 
taste and character. It is used very extensively as a 
breadstuff among the Indians, who call it ''soff-kee," after 
it is cooked. 

We also noticed a number of large birds called "cor- 
morants" in that region, which had been placed so as to 
broil over the fire. Seeing that the Indian had no lock 
on his gun, and of course could not use it, Captain Mick- 
ler asked him how he got the birds. 

''Hannah," he answered, pointing at his wife, "go 
rookery; take stick — knock 'em down." 

It was true. The woman, disregarding all accepted 
rules of sportsmanship, took a stout cypress limb, and, 
creeping under the trees where the birds had selected a 
roost, commenced such a fierce onslaught on them that 
but few of the luckless creatures escaped. 

About this time, our captain ordered the men to chop 
the Indian canoe to pieces. The owner looked on with 
rueful countenance, but said nothing. 

The myriads of custard-apple trees around us were 
loaded with fruit, but none of it was ripe. Captain Mick- 
ler picked one of them, and asked Tommie if it was fit 
to eat. 

■"No good, holiwaugus. Tomollow, ripe; good, too 
much." 

He meant that next day it would ripen. The fruit is 
about as large as a quince. A grove of custard-apple 
trees, full of fruit, will perfume the air for half a mile 
around. 

We manned our boats and left with our captives, 
steering our course toward the south end of Lake Okee- 
chobee. After traveling five miles, we reached that 
point and began looking for an outlet into the Everglades, 



30 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

but without success. We were bounded by a high, al- 
most impenetrable wall of saw-grass, through which the 
water from the lake oozed its way to the Everglades. 

We went on about three miles farther, and reached an 
Indian town, Here we saw several palmetto huts, and 
the place looked as if it had been deserted for many years. 
In answer to a question as to who lived there, Tommie 
said : 

"Miccosukie ; no good — thief, too much." 

Miccosukie was the name of a tribe who had lived 
apart from other tribes, plundering their neighbors and 
murdering women and children. Tommie told some fear- 
ful tales of their depredations. 

Next day we landed on Observation Island, and in 
my next chapter I w^ill tell my readers what we saw there. 




\ 



CHAPTER VI. 

A MAN TRIES CHICKEN-HAWK AS AN ARTICLE OF FOOD, 
WITHOUT SUCCESS— WE REACH THE EVERGLADES. 

Observation Island is about three-fourths of a mile in 
length, and one-fourth of a mile wide. It has a hard, 
white sandy beach, and is known as a favorite resort for 
turtles. 

On landing at the island, a curious sight met our eyes. 
The ground was literally paved with turtles and cooters, 
some of which were industriously digging in the sand, 
forming a place in which to deposit their eggs. The 
tierce, gray-eyed soft-shell, the bright, yellow-striped 
cooler, and his odoriferous companion, the "alligator tur- 
tle," were dwelling together in unity, but there was con- 
sternation among them as we came up; which was plain, 
from their frantic scrambles toward the water. 

We hurried ashore, and commenced a raid on the un- 
fortunate reptiles. I secured half a dozen without acci- 
dent, and retired with my struggling, kicking captives to 
a- shady spot, where I made them secure with a few strips 
of tough bark. One man, a long, lean Tar-heel, named 
Turnipseed, v/as not so fortunate. While wrestling with 
a giant soft-shell turtle, the vicious chelonian grabbed 
him by the thumb and held on like "grim death." There 
is a superstition prevalent among some people, to the 
efifect that a turtle will not relax his hold "until it thun- 
ders." Perhaps Turnipseed had began to have that opin- 
ion, for the soft-shell tightened his grip, and. drawing 
in his head, plunged forward to suddenly that the Tar- 
heel was obliged to move his arm accordingly, to save 
his thumb. The turtle continued to plunge and rear, 



32 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

but there is a limit to human endurance. Notwithstand- 
ing his peculiar name, there was nothing small about Mr. 
Turnipseed. He didn't swear, and tear around, nor curse, 
nor wish that the vicious reptile was in the country, of 
which they say the pepper is a native. No, he simply 
held up the turtle by his thumb, and waiting until its 
neck was sufficiently extended, made a skillful swipe of 
his knife, and the body fell to the ground. The head, 
however, remained, and Mr. T. had to practice some sur- 
gery before he finally got his thumb free. 

We considered we had plenty, when two dozen of the 
snapping turtles were thrown into the boat. On close 
inspection, we failed to discover any signs of Indians, 
and of course our only alternative was to return to the 
mainland. 

When we arrived at the camp, we found some little 
excitement among the soldiers. It appeared that one of 
the men had shot a chicken-hawk, and insisted upon hav- 
ing it for his dinner, despite the remonstrance of the men. 
Not long after he had finished his meal, he complained of 
intense pain in the stomach. When we arrived, he was 
almost delirious, and the physician of the camp was doing 
his best to alleviate the man's sufferings. 

Our captive, Tommie, seemed much concerned about 
the man's condition, and repeatedly begged Dr. Oliver to 
let him try a cure. The doctor at last consented, and 
Tommie dispatched his squaw, Hannah, to the woods 
for the purpose of gathering roots and herbs. He then 
took the man's hands in his own, and repeated a strange 
jargon of unintelligible sounds, and passed his hands 
over the man's face. The voodoo operations had no 
effect, and when Hannah returned with an apron full of 
leaves, Tommie bruised them together in his hands, and 
then put them in the man's ears and mouth, at the same 
time repeating the gibberish of a voodoo. All to no pur- 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 33 

pose. After a few struggles, the man lay still in death 
before us. 

Tommie seemed greatly affected at the unfortunate 
termination of his case, and tried to explain to us that the 
moon's phase was unfavorable to a cure. We buried our 
comrade under a rubber-tree, and inscribed the name in 
the bark, over his head, which, no doubt, can be seen until 
this day, perhaps partly effaced by the growth of the tree. 

Next morning, we set out on the journey to Fort 
Myers, and after two days of rowing on the Caloosa- 
hatchie, we arrived at our destination, and delivered 
Tommie, Hannah and the boy to the Indian agent. 

After securing a receipt for the Indians, Captain Mick- 
ler was furnished with a guide, an old Spaniard, named 
Phillippi, and an Indian squaw, called Polly, a former 
wife of Chi-ee, a famous Seminole chief. 

We again impelled our boats down the Caloosahatchie, 
and arrived at Punta Rassa, where the river empties into 
the Gulf of Mexi'^o. At that point we entered the salt 
water, and cruised along the coast, southward. Mullet 
and pompano were our chief diet, and the men, who had 
grown tired of fresh-water fish, feasted on these products 
of the ''briny deep" with unlimited zest. 

Sanibel Island, off Punta Rassa, is famous for its wild 
hogs and deer. Before leaving for Shark river, some of 
the men went across to tfiat island and began chasing the 
long-toothed boars. Andrew Wiggins was one of the 
party, and proposed to show the others just how he could 
lay the vicious game low. They ''jumped" a herd of the 
swine, digging in a small pond, in search of "wampee," 
an aquatic plant, something on the order of Arum, or 
Indian turnip. Andrew Wiggins unceremoniously inter- 
rupted their meal by firing among them, and he wounded 
one so badly that it set up a fearful scream. One old 
boar became greatly enraged at this, and with a blood- 
curdling "gosh-gosh," and rattling grunt, trotted straight 



34 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

for Wiggins, who turned and ran for a tree. It was wise 
for him to do so, for the angry animal was right at his 
heels, when he reached a small oak tree. With the 
agility of a squirrel he climbed the tree, and the boar, 
finding himself disappointed, commenced rooting at the 
foot of the oak. Whether the boar would ultimately have 
overturned the sapling, I cannot say, but as soon as 
Wiggins could get a firm foothold, he stopped the tunnel- 
ing operations with a bullet from his rifle. We killed 
several fine young shoats, and carried them to the boats. 

Shark river flows into the Gulf about eighty miles 
south of Punta Rassa, and after traveling two days, we 
reached the mouth of the river. Proceeding up this 
stream eight miles we selected a camp, amid the man- 
grove trees. The ground was dry, although not more 
than three feet above the water. Roaming around the 
forest that evening, I found a tree covered with grape- 
vines, on which hung the finest grapes I ever saw. They 
were larger than muscadines, covered with a deep purple 
bloom, and so juicy and rich that they were near burst- 
ing. Neither before, nor since, have I ever seen such 
magnificent grapes. 

Next day we entered the Everglades. Mangrove for- 
ests were behind us ; and before us, as far as the eye could 
reach, could be seen nothing but an ocean of saw-grass, 
dotted with small islands, on which a few cocoa-plum 
and myrtle trees were growing. 

Many people who have heard of the Everglades all 
their lives, have no idea of what the country looks like. 
Some imagine it to be a beautiful forest, where tropical 
birds fly through fruit-laden trees ; others imagine that it 
is an El Dorado, where one is almost sure to find gold or 
jewels. I understand that one prominent writer, and 
citizen of Florida, pretending to write from experience, 
says that the Everglades will yet become the greatest 
winter resort in Florida. He speaks of "high, rollings 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



35 



land, wild orange groves, and a rich soil and healthful 
climate, which must some day gain for it a world-wide 
reputation as a resort for invalids." I can scarcely con- 
ceive of a more shameless misrepresentation. In my 
next chapter I will give a description of the Everglades, 
which I am ready to substantiate in every particular. 




CHAPTER VII. 

A JOURNEY ACROSS THE EVERGLADES, AND A PROMISE 

OF AN ADVENTURE. 

Standing on the edge of the Everglades, we could look 
each way, and discern the line of demarkation as plainly 
as ever was seen in a field or lake. The confines of the 
great morass ran in almost a straight line north and 
south, and melted away into the dim distance on each side 
of us. At our feet lay a warm, reeking mass of water and 
decaying' vegetation, and around us stood myrtle and 
cocoa-plum trees, laden with fruit. An intense silence 
pervaded the whole scene. Far ahead of us we could see 
the white heron and the roseate spoonbill, expanding 
their wings in the warm sunlight, but they uttered no 
sound. A solitary flamingo spread his scarlet pinions 
on the air, and slowly wended his flight to the south, at 
last looking like a blazing red star, sinking into the hT)ri- 
zon of the saw-grass and myrtle. 

The water was less than six inches deep, and we could 
easily foresee that the journey would be a dif^cult one, 
for the boats would have to be drawn over the fields of 
saw-grass by main strength. 

Captain Mickler ordered that two of the largest boats 
be sent back, as they were too large to be hauled along 
like the other boats. Accordingly, William Mickler, the 
captain's brother, assumed the task of taking them back, 
and we prepared for the journey across the Everglades. 
All of us entered the water with the exception of Polly, 
the Indian squaw, who sat in the prow of the foremost 
boat. Five men were assigned to each boat ; one behind 
and two on each side, and we had all we could do to push 



:'.,s Lh'^M AM) AnVKXrrUKS IN SOUTH FLOUIPA. 

thoiu aloui;. ahlunij;h tliov ooniainod lunhiiig but rations, 
ainmunition aiul i^uns. Polly, who was to act as our 
j^iiido. !^a\o hor diroclious to riiillippi. who iiitorproted 
tlioiu {o us in hjii^iish. Stic liad crossed the l^vcfi^hules 
cii^htccn \cais bcfoic. and yd she knew the way jnst as 
well as it" she havl n\ade the trip a lunulred times. No 
mariner's compass could have i^nided us across this track- 
less waste with more precision than did this hideous old 

Occasionallx ^.'aptain Micklcr would order a halt, and 
^o to an island. clinU) a cocoa-plum tree, and take a long 
look at the surrounding country. As far as he could see 
there was no variation of the monotonous scenery, l^^n 
examining these islands we found that they were only a 
few inches above the water, and the soil seemed to con- 
sist of rotten limestone, covered with a thin, hard crust, 
which broke through as we walked upon it. I'nderneath 
was a whitish, calcareous, ill-smelling soil, mixed with 
sliells. Hut the cocoa-plum trees which grew in such 
numbers on every island, were a boon to us. There are 
two varieties — the black and the white cocoa — and the 
fruit is about the si/.e of a green-gage plum. The pulp 
is very sweet and good, and very refreshing. After the 
pulp has been eaten, the seed is cracked, and inside is 
found a substance that resembles chocolate very closely, 
both in taste and appearance. It is claimed that the seed 
possesses many properties of Erythroxylon coca. One 
thing I am sure of is. that eating the seeds seemed to 
enable one to do a greater amount of labor without fa- 
tigue, than was possible before. 

Occasionally we crossed the little rills trickling their 
way sluggishly toward the south. These little streams 
were liardly ever more than six feet across, and contained 
a few species of swamp fish. The water WTis not more 
that! a foot deep, and the current was scarcely discernible. 

Strange to say. wx* saw no alligators nor snakes on 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 39 

this journey, nor the slightest trace of any reptile except 
an occasional cooter. At sunset we were weary indeed, 
although we had traversed a distance of only twelve 
miles. Behind us lay the long, winding path made by our 
boats, through the saw-grass. Our course was toward 
the Miami, on the Atlantic coast — about east-northeast. 
At night we went on to an island, where the ground was 
a little dry, and prepared for the night. The myrtle, 
which grows in such abundance on these islands, is very 
brittle, and we had no difficulty in preparing couches of 
the fragrant boughs. We built a fire of the dry, dead 
branches, and were soon comfortably seated around a 
smoking supper, making ourselves just as merry as if 
we were at home, and not forced to roam through one of 
the most desolate deserts known to mortal man. 

When we retired to rest on our couches of sweet myr- 
tle boughs, sleep came to us on swift wings. Not a mos- 
quito nor sand-fly appeared to keep us awake, and appar- 
ently, we just pressed the couches, and then opened our 
eyes to the rising sun. Never did I sleep more perfectly 
and refreshingly. I cannot say whether this was owing 
to the cocoa-plum seeds I had eaten, or not. 

It is my honest opinion that we never could have gone 
a mile into the Everglades without the aid of the boats, 
for the soil was so soft and boggy that as soon as we 
relaxed our hold on the boats we sank above our knees. 
Nobody knows how much deeper we would have sunk. 
All the hardships I had ever endured were nothing com- 
pared to this. Very often we leaned over in the boats, 
thoroughly exhausted by our exertions. It was an al- 
most superhuman task to shove the boats along, and 
when we were once out of sight of dry land, the pros- 
pect was indescribably dreary — a circle of saw-grass and 
little islands in every direction. I think I can safely say 
that no human being ever did, or can, accomplish the 
feat of crossing the Everglades on foot and unaided. 



40 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

On the second day's journey, we observed no change 
in the character of the surroundings. The islands ahead 
of us looked as if they were high and dry, and gave im- 
pressions of an earthly paradise, with their soft verdure, 
colored fruits and shady trees. But when we reached 
them, the hallucination faded, and the stern reality was 
before us. Noisome weeds, growing on a low, unhealthy 
soil and a few cocoa-plum and custard-apple trees, cov- 
ered with white-flowered vines, were all that met our 
disenchanted vision. 

As well as I can remember, none of these islands con- 
tained more than an acre and a half of land, and eighteen 
inches was the greatest elevation above the water. 

The weary, toiling soldiers became discouraged at the 
dreary prospect around them, and showed signs of dissat- 
isfaction. Like the soldiers who accompanied Columbus 
on his voyage of discovery, they began to express doubts 
as to the reliability of the guide. They at last openly 
declared that Polly was misleading them, and expressed 
an unwillingness to let the alligators and herons wrestle 
with their bones, in that forsaken solitude. It must be 
said, right here, to the lasting credit of Jim Cook, that 
he was prompt and effectual in quelling the incipient 
mutiny among the men. His iron will and straightfor- 
ward and convincing dialect had the desired effect, and 
equanimity was soon restored. 

At night we had made about the same distance that 
we traveled the first day — twelve miles. As before, an 
island was our resting place. 

In the morning we resumed the journey, and it is 
hardly necessary to repeat that we were much discour- 
aged at the non-appearance of land. I say "land," for, of 
course, we were as much ''at sea" as if we were on the 
ocean. 

Captain Mickler climbed a tree, about twenty feet 
high, and looked eastward. Soon he gave an exclama- 



LIFx^ AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 41 

tion of delight, and told us that we might give ourselves 
no uneasiness, as there v^as land in sight. He could 
discern plainly the line of timber skirting Biscayne Bay. 
This was about nine o'clock in the morning, and wlien 
night came, we were within eight miles of the Miami. 

At last, we were going to get out of this unhallowed 
place. We were footsore and weary, and as we had to 
slake our thirst with the loathsome limewater that oozed 
through the grass at our feet, we were suffering from the 
effects of it. Some of the men declared that one hun- 
dred dollars in gold would not tempt them to make an- 
other trip through the Everglades. 

It was perhaps ten o'clock in the morning of the fourth 
day, when we saw something ahead of us, which caused 
us to halt and hurriedly "call a council of war." About 
two miles ahead we discerned what we supposed to be 
an army of Indians coming toward us. 

'Well, boys,'' said the captain, "we are pretty well 
worn out, but I guess we will manage to give them a 
warm reception." 

With silent, eager movements, the men pul, themselves 
in readiness for a tussle with the savages. 




CHAPTER Vni. 

WE EMERGE FROM THE EVERGLADES, AND HAVE A 
VERY PLEASANT TIME. 

With renewed energy in our sinews, we laid hold of 
the boats and sent them rushing through the water. It 
surely looked as if we ought to be rewarded for our long, 
wearisome struggle, and some of the men thought that a 
liberal number of captives would indemnify them for their 
trouble. 

Steadily we advanced, and as steadily did the seem- 
ing enemy approach us, until they were only half a mile 
distant, when, to our astonishment, we discovered that 
we were soon to be joined by a company of regulars, 
instead of the human game we had been expecting. The 
friendliest greetings passed between our company and 
that of Captain Doubleday, the commander of the regu- 
lars. In replying to questions, they answered evasively, 
saying that our guide would probably be more reliable 
than theirs. It was evident that they had been lost, 
and were not willing to confess it. So they fell in behind 
and started back with us. 

After traveling two miles we came to a spot where 
Polly commenced an excited discussion in Seminole, with 
Phillippi. That old worthy said that Polly pronounced 
the little rivulet at our feet to be the head of the Miami 
river. Polly piped out in her shrill, panther-like voice: 

''Sookus-hechek-opko ! lokasee ; ojus !" 

We all understood the word "lokasee," and permis- 
sion was speedily obtained to follow a bear which was 
running across from one island to another. The chase 
was a short one ; the bear took refuge on an island, and 



44 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

was soon surrounded and killed. As we went on, the 
rivulet broadened and deepened so that we could launch 
our boats. What a relief it was! We had been forced 
to shove them along through the mud and grass, but now 
we could use the oars, and we were happy. The bear 
was safely lying in the bottom of the boat ; the Ever- 
glades were behind us, and a prospect of rest before us. 
Some of the men, more sentimentally inclined, lifted their 
voices and sang. We were gliding over the purest, clear- 
est water; pines, hammocks, and other familiar objects 
greeted our vision, and palms dipped their fern-like leaves 
in the crystal stream. As we rowed on, the leafy woods 
on each side echoed the music : 

"Quickly our boats are now gliding along, 

Gliding along, 

Gliding along; 
Swiftly we're rowing in time with our song, 

Rowing in time with our song. 
"Forest and meadows are passing behind, 

Passing behind, 

Passing behind; 
Odors so sweetly are borne on the wind, 

Odors are borne on the wind." 

In high glee we rowed into Fort Dallas, at the mouth 
of the Miami river. Here we saw many nice frame 
houses among the cocoa palm trees. The ground was 
high and dry, and the sea breeze was most refreshing 
after our sojourn through the Everglades. No better 
place could have been found for a camp. We stayed here 
two days and recruited. 

The guava bushes were full of delicious fruit, and no 
one can say that we did not do them ample justice. Next 
to a peach, I think the guava is the most delightful fruit 
under the sun. No — I will not say that — for the guava 
stands without rival ; it is the queen of fruits. The man 
that says we didn't have plenty of cocoanuts, makes a 
grand mistake. We ate them, and drank the milk, until 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 45 

we didn't have a good opinion of them. One man ate so 
many jelly-cocoanuts that he was seized Avith severe 
cramps in the stomach, and came near dying. Maybe 
my readers would like to know what a "jelly-cocoanut" 
is. It is nothing more nor less than a very young, un- 
ripe nut; at that stage the flesh has a jelly-like consist- 
ency, and the milk is indescribably delicious, but it is 
dangerous if eaten without moderation. 

When the two days had passed away we were in fine 
condition for another journey. The jelly-cocoanut man 
had recovered, and all went merry. It did not require 
much time to prepare ourselves for the trip. At sunrise 
we set out over the waters of Biscayne Bay, toward the 
south. The weather was delightful, and after bidding 
adieu to our friends, the regulars, the cocoanut groves 
were left behind. Fine hammock skirted the beach ; 
rubber, hackberry, safTron-plum, mastic, pigeon-plum and 
''gumbolimbo" were among the tropical trees w^e saw. 
The fruit of a mastic tree is about the size of a plum, 
yellowy and has a soft, juicy pulp, with a cinnamon-like 
odor. It is delicious eating, but the effects are unpleas- 
ant. When too many have been eaten, the mouth be- 
comes as sore as if the person were salivated. The 
saffron-plum, pigeon-plum and hackberry all bear edible 
fruit.. 

The first object of interest we came to was General 
Harney's Punchbowl. It was about ten o'clock in the 
morning when we arrived at the place and landed. The 
"bank was about twelve feet high, rocky and steep. About 
half way up the declivity was a spring of cold, clear water, 
Issuing from a deep, bowl-like depression in the rock. We 
drank the cooling water, and ascended to the hammock, 
which lay beyond. (This spring was named after General 
Harney, the famous Indian fighter.) In the hammock 
we came upon a lime grove that eclipsed anything I ever 
saw. The ground was literally paved with the fragrant, 



46 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

golden globes. We gathered several bushels and car- 
ried them to the boats. After another deep draught at 
General Harney's Punchbowl, we resumed the journey. 

That night we camped at the south end of Biscayne 
Bay, and next day we passed through Upper and Lower 
Cards Sound, into Barnes' Sound, and through Chi-ee's 
Cut-ofT, into Sadler's Bay. Chi-ee's Cut-off is where the 
waters of Barnes' Sound connect with Sadler bay. The 
water was twenty-five feet deep, and clear as it well could 
be. Down near the bottom we could see enormous red 
snappers and groupers darting around, and they evidently 
had plenty to eat, for they paid no attention to bait. At 
sunset we were within five miles of Cape Sable, at a 
place named Saw-fish Hole. That night we discovered 
that there were mosquitoes in Florida, after all. But we 
had plenty of nets. 

In the morning, after breakfast on mullet, pompano 
and grouper, we shouldered guns and attacked the deer. 
Foremost among the hunters was Andrew Wiggins. 
With an unerring hand, he caused many a deer to bite 
the sand that day. One hunter swore that a deer came 
up within a few yards of him, and never flinched, as he 
took aim and fired. I cannot vouch for the truth of the 
statement, but it seemed to me as if the deer were remark- 
ably tame. 

But "graining" the tarpons was the finest sport of all. 
The tarpon, when full grown, is about five feet in length, 
and clothed in bright, silvery scales, about the size of a 
silver dollar. They have a habit of rising to the surface 
and striking the water with the tail, with such force that 
the blow can be heard for five or six hundred yards. 
''Graining the tarpon" is a sport very popular around 
Key West, and consists in throwing a long gig, or barbed 
rod, into the fish, from a boat. To the rod is fastened a 
long, stout line, and to that a stoppered jug is attached. 
The tarpon, when caught, is far too powerful to be con- 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 47 

trolled by hand ; so he is allowed to plunge around at will, . 
but the jug follows him wherever he goes, and betrays 
his presence. The jugs, flying across the water with 
such rapiclity that a cloud of spray envelopes them ; the 
excited men, bending all their strength to the oars, and 
the overtaking and capture of the jug, and the final land- 
ing of the shining fish, forms as animating a scene as on^ 
could well imagine. The flesh of the tarpon, while hard- 
ly so fine as that of the red snapper, is really good eating. 

After graining half a dozen of the silvery monsters, 
we cleaned them, and proceeded to "jerk" them. As 
everybody knows that this means drying the meat in the 
sun or over a fire, I will not dwell on the particulars. 

Next day we visited Cape Sable, the extreme southern 
point of the mainland of Florida. There are three points 
which compose the cape proper ; East Point, Palm Point, 
and North Cape. On Palm Point were two prodigiously 
tall royal palm trees (fully 125 feet high), which were 
visible as a landmark for many miles around. The Gov- 
ernment authorities ordained that any one who cut these 
trees down, was to be fined at least five hundred dollars. 
Since that time, however, a storm of unwonted violence 
has uprooted them. 

My readers have patiently followed me among the red 
savages, have traversed deep swamps, and finally waded 
through the Everglades with me, until we are lodged 
safely at Cape Sable. And now, my dear readers, we are 
preparing to set out on a seven days' scout through the 
Big Cypress, and we are likely to pass through some 
strange scenes before we rest again. 



CHAPTER IX. 

AMONG THE TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS. 

No one who enters the border of Florida and steps 
into the kingdom of the orange, where everything wears 
such a soft, unseered hue of sempiternal spring, would 
imagine that the southern extremity of the State pre- 
sented such a desolate, gloomy appearance. The pine- 
covered hills and orange-scented hammocks are meta- 
morphosed into low, oozy points, and slimy mangrove 
swamps. The very cranes ^nd herons, poised on one 
leg,- look as mournful as the sprawling frogs about to 
become their prey. The croak of the water-turkey is 
worse than a funeral dirge, and the far-reaching note of 
the curlew and flamingo makes one wish to be at home. 

As we left Cape Sable the prospect grew brighter. 
The sampson-grass gave way to hammocks bordered 
with mangrove forests. At night we reached Pavilion 
Key, and selected it as a camping spot for the night. 
I had heard of the great clam beds at this key, and was 
anxious to* make the trip. 

What a" beautiful spot it was ! The setting sun was 
laving its heated face in the cool Gulf far to the west- 
ward ; the last ruddy rays gilded the top of the lofty 
mangrove trees, and already a deep twilight lay in the 
shadowy places. The water was clear and we could 
see millions of clams beneath us. As we approached the 
key, some of the soldiers jumped overboard (it was only 
knee deep) and threw hundreds of the succulent bivalves 
into the boat. We built a fire and soon had a mammoth 
chowder ready, together with some cooter steak. Polly's 
eyes scintillated with suppressed joy, but when she tasted 



50 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

the delicious mixture, her bosom heaved, her lips parted, 
and lifting her withered hand toward heaven, she ejacu- 
lated : 

"Good — too much !" 

We "fell to" with the gusto of savages, and had a 
glorious feast. Stories were told, jokes passed, and for- 
mer griefs forgotten amid the joys of the present. But 
amid the hearty laughs that echoed through the twilight, 
there was one who maintained a deep, thoughtful silence, 
as if he thought the time too precious, while sitting 
around the chowder-pot, to waste in useless merriment. 
But after the feast was over, he crawled to a mangrove 
tree and leaned against it ; throwing out his feet, and 
clasping his hands over his shaggy head, he gave vent 
to one of those laughs for which he was famous. First 
his mouth opened, then there was a commotion all over, 
and a gurgling sound arose, seemingly, from his boots, 
and finally the bubbling, undulating mixture of sounds 
poured forth, astonishing and amusing all who heard it. 
Truly, Andrew Wiggins was a great la,ugher. 

But I must proceed on the journey, or we will be 
late. From Pavilion Key we went through Sand Fly 
Pass into Chocaliska Bay, where we encountered the Ten 
Thousand Islands. I had long wished to see and deter- 
mine just what these islands were, and observed them 
with great interest. Our boats wound in and out among 
them, and once I landed with some others to examine 
an island. It was larger than some of the rest, being 
about ten acres in extent. Around the edges stood a 
circle of mangrove trees, and inside of that the land was 
dry, shell hammock, and very rich, covered with a heavy 
growth of mastic, gumbolimbo and other West India 
trees. You have often heard me speak about mangrove 
trees, and maybe you would like to know what they look 
like. The mangrove don't content itself with rising 
straight out of the ground like any other tree, but props 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 51 

its trunk a\\ay up in the air on several s;nall trunks, 
which were originally roots. Some of these trees look 
like a lot of large tent-poles leaning togetlier, and a big 
tree growing on top. It often reaches a height of seventy 
feet or more ; the wood is extremely heavy, and is used 
extensively for piers and making wharves, as it lasts a 
long time in water. The trees bear a long, dry seed, 
which drop down when ripe and stick upright in the mud, 
and in a short time a new mangrove is putting forth its 
leaves. 

The islands were, on an average, not more than two or 
three hundred yards apart, and the smallest one I saw 
was only fifty feet across, with a few stunted mangrove 
and mastic trees growing on it. Sometimes, where the 
islands Avere close together, the tall, shady trees loomed 
up in leafy walls on each side of us, and formed an over- 
arching canopy of green, through which the. echoes of 
the men's voices, and the sounds of the oars rang and 
reverberated. This was the home of the sand fly. High 
overhead we heard the shrill hum of untold millions of 
these little insects, which increased as we went on. 

In this arboreal wilderness, the semi-twilight hue of 
the scene seems to make the little creatures' advances 
more bold. The whirr of their wrings— so fine and shrill, 
that ''nothing seemed to lie 'twixt it and silence" — was 
constantly in our ears, and the infinitesimal white spots 
which marked their presence on the hands and face were 
the cause of considerable pain and annoyance. They are 
not like a mosquito; they are too small for you to aim a 
blow at them, and they are biting you for dear life before 
you know it. 

The water was three feet in depth, and very clear, so 
that we could see the oyster beds below, with great dis- 
tinctness. Many of these beds contained oysters of fine 
size, so that we supplied ourselves liberally with the deli- 
cious things. Seated in the boats, we pryed open the 



5J LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

sliells, and rapidly provided accommodations for the 
oysters contained within. 

After a while we emerged from among the islands, 
and came to the mouth of the Chocaliska river, and jour- 
neyed up the stream for five miles, to the point where it 
receives the waters of the Faquahatchie. Here we found 
a company of soldiers who had just finished burying their 
commander — Captain Parkhill — who had been killed by 
Indians the day before, in the Royal Palm Hammock. 
There was the most intense excitement among the men, 
and their speech and actions boded no good for the Indi- 
ans they were preparing to hunt next day. They had 
carried his body nine miles in order to find a safe resting 
place for their chief. 

Captain Mickler ordered us to return, and when we 
again entered the Chocaliska bay, our course was directed 
northward, en route for Marco Inlet, near Cape Romano. 
After a journey of twenty miles, we reached the inlet, 
and next morning we were joined by the company before 
mentioned. We were, in all, about one hundred strong, 
and were provided with guns, ammunition and provi- 
sions. Colonel St. George Rogers took command, and, 
at an early hour, we set forth, ostensibly for the purpose 
of quelling a rebellion, but many of the men were ready 
to risk life and liberty for the purpose of avenging the 
dastardly murder of their chief. Captain Parkhill. 



CHAPTER X. • • 

INCIDENTS OF SEVEN YEARS. 

In bringing to a close the first part of book, I recall 
several instances, which I have learned since the first 
edition was published, which stand out even in the dark 
and troublous days of Indian warfare, and which will be 
found of interest. One of these incidents, the murder of 
one Barker, occurred in 1849, ^I'^d the others seven years 
later, in the year of Grace (or perhaps it should be called 
Bloodshed), 1856, five years before the hostilities with 
the native red> men were to be forgotten in the longer 
and deadlier conflict between brethren of the same race, 
in which our fair State, no less than others, suffered 
through fire and sword. 

The first affair of which I write, the murder of Bar- 
ker, occurred on the Indian river in 1849. Barker, with 
his brother-in-law, Major Russell, and their families, 
lived on this river, as the great lagoon is called, extend- 
ing almost the entire length of the East Coast — the great 
river which does not rise from the highlands and flow 
into the ocean, but rises and falls with the moon-driven 
tides of the Atlantic. Major Russell was an Indian trad- 
er, and among the red men bore none too good a repu- 
tation for honesty and square dealing. It was through 
a desire on their part for revenge against Russell, for the 
Indian never forgets either a kindness of an injury, that 
the unfortunate Barker lost his life. 

One day as Major Russell and Mr. lUirker were at 
work in their garden amongst their crop of spring veg- 
etables, they espied two Indians, who came down to the 
riverside and fired their rifles, at the same time giving 



54 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

the blood-curdling whoop which meant that the Sem- 
inoles were on the warpath — that some of the tribe had 
*'smelt blood/' and, like the wild beast of the jungles, 
could only be satisfied with more. Before the men could 
arrange to protect themselves the two savages were 
upon them in the garden, and, each taking deliberate 
aim, fired at his man. Barker fell to the ground, dead, 
and Major Russell was wounded severely. Mrs. Barker 
and^ Mrs. Russell, hearing the guns and seeing the fatal 
results, seized their children and hurried down to the 
boat at the river. There was no time for useless lamen- 
tation over the corpse of the murdered husband, father 
and brother; immediate action was all that could save 
the lives of Russell, the unfortunate woman, and the inno- 
cent children of the two households. 

Rushing into the house as fast as his wounded con- 
dition would permit. Major Russell secured his gun and 
fired back at the attacking party, who disappeared amid 
the trees at once. He then hurried down to the river, 
growing weaker and fainter with loss of blood every min- 
ute, and joined his family. They rowed across the Indian 
river and walked up the beach to Cape Canaveral, forty 
miles away. The women gave Major Russell such atten- 
tion as they could, and his wound did not result fatally. 

After walking for three days, enduring all the pangs 
of hunger and the agonies of thirst, for they were with- 
out food, and the only water in sight— the briny ocean 
on the east,— only served to accentuate their sufferings, 
so that they might well have exclaimed with the Ancient 
Mariner : 

''Water! water! everywhere. 
But not a drop to drink ! ! 

At the end of this time they reached Cape Canaveral 
where they found Captain Burnham and a detachment of 
troops under his command. The latter relieved their 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 55 

wants, and Captain Burnham conveyed them to St. 
Augustine. Lieutenant Ripley was then stationed at the 
oldest city in America, and was ordered by the War De- 
partment immediately to proceed to Fort Capron, on the 
Indian river, near the scene of the Barker murder, and 
protect the few settlers that were still there. 

This prompt action on the part of the United States 
authorities put an end to the depredations for the time, 
but not, sad to relate, until the same Indians who had 
murdered Barker made their way across the country to 
Pease creek, killing on the way a man named Paine, a 
respected white settler who was unfortunate en6ugh to 
be in their line of march. 

BATTLE OF PEASE CREEK. 

Peace reigned until the spring of 1858, when the seven 
years of peace treaty were to be succeeded by a season 
of war and ruin. The Indians were in a hostile mood, 
and as a result of their depredations through the country 
the white settlers, what few there were, had gathered 
together at the different forts for protection, especially 
at Fort Mead. Amongst others in the community was 
a family named Tillis, who lived about two miles from 
the Fort. Mr. Tillis had two grown sons, and all being 
armed, felt secure from an attack by the savages. One 
morning, at dawn, Mrs. Tillis, accompanied by one of 
her youngest children, went to the cow pen to milk, as 
usual. On arriving she noticed that the cows appeared 
frightened, giving warning as clearly as the instinct of 
an animal can, of serious danger, and looking as only 
dumb animals can look when frightened, at a pile of rails 
behind the fence of the cow pen. 

Looking in the same direction, Mrs. Tillis saw a num- 
ber of Indians prostrate upon the ground. She started 
to the house at once, calling to her child to follow. At 



56 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

this the Indians commenced firing on the woman and 
child, but they arrived safely in the house, where they 
were given the protection of the husband and sons. The 
Indians, determined to commit mischief before leaving, 
then began a fusillade against the house, but the latter 
was as secure against the bullets of the savages, being 
built in the pioneer manner of pine logs, as were the 
palmetto logs of Fort Moutrie safe against the cannon 
balls of the British in the War of the Revolution. There 
was no Sargent Jasper here to spring upon the ramparts 
with the battle flag of the Fort, but in the sacred pre- 
cincts of their pinelog cabin, the Tillis family fought for 
their lives and their home. 

The walls of the cabin, useless to relate, were not 
plastered or ceiled, as such "trimmings" as these were 
unknown in the pioneer days of Florida, and for- once 
the cracks between the logs stood the inmates of the 
cabin in good stead. Safely barricaded behind the walls, 
the defenders of the cabin fired their rifles through the 
cracks, and thus kept the enemy at bay. In the mean- 
time the sound of the rifles had been heard at Fort Meade 
by a party of South Florida cowboys who had been left 
to guard the women and children at the Fort. "Boys, 
there's work for us over in^ the woods," said their leader, 
and mounting their horses they dashed at full speed to 
the scene of the battle. 

Hearing the sound of the approaching volunteer cav- 
alry, the Indians withdrew from the attack on the Tillis 
homestead, and lay in wait in a thicket of pine saplings. 
The cowboys dismounted and charged them, driving 
them back from the thicket in which they had sought 
refuge. One of the cowboys, McCullough by named, 
disarmed an Indian and threw him to the ground, then 
called to a comrade to come and help him, that they 
might get the reward of $500 offered by the government 
for the capture of a warrior. At that very instant the 



LI^E AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA, 57 

comrade was shot down, and McCullough found himself 
in the same position of the Irish trooper in the Crimean 
war who "caught a Tartar." There was but one thing 
for McCullough to do when no aid came to him ; the 
Indian was making a desperate struggle to slay his cap- 
tor, having again secured possession of his arms, and 
McCullough, to save his own life, jerked out his knife 
and cut the red man's throat. 

Ocshan, the chief of the Indian war party, was killed, 
but his men were too numerous for the cowboys to count 
their triumph a final one, so they withdrew in good order 
from the skirmish, with very little loss. 

Next day a party of eighteen cowboys started out in 
pursuit of the Indians, who were not strong enough to 
risk an attack on the Fort, and withdrew from the fight 
at Tillis' place as soon almost as the coyboys did. After 
going some distance down Pease creek the pursuing party 
found very fresh signs of the Indians, and in a few min- 
utes afterwards discovered an Indian on watch some dis- 
tance from the Indian encampment. Eli Whiddon, who 
was in the lead, gave chase, and ran the sentry back to 
his camp. The Indians opened fire, the cowboys returned 
it, and in a few seconds the battle was at its height. 
It was short and decisive. When the fight was thickest 
and fiercest, the chief stood to one side of his warriors 
and sang the war song of the Seminoles, to cheer them 
on to the fray. One of the white men, an old fellow 
named Brooker, had discharged his gun and was reload- 
ing it, when he heard his name called, ''Brooker! Brook- 
er!'' and saw an Indian advancing on him, at the same 
time shouting his name. "For God's sake. Langford," 
he called to one of his men, "kill that Indian or he will 
get me !" Langford fired, the Indian fell, and old man 
Brooker's life was saved. The last victim of the battle 
was a negro, a runaway slave, who had joined the In- 
dians. The negro ran to the river and attempted to 



58 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

swim it, when John Mansfield let drive a load into liis 
back, and the negro sank to the bottom. After the bat- 
tle was over, the whites counted six dead Indians lying 
behind one log, the rest having been carried away by 
their comrades in the retreat down the creek. This was 
tlie last formidable engagement, if such it may be called, 
and may be said to have practically been the last trouble 
on an organized basis between the whites and red men of 
this state. 

CAPT. STEVENS' EXPEDITION IN BIG CYPRESS 

In the early part of 1857, Capt. Winston Stevens was 
or.iered from Tampa to Fort Myers, and from there up 
to Fort Denan on the Caloosahatchee river. After a 
short stay at the latter, he received further orders to 
proceed to Fort Druni, and almost immediately from that 
])oinL to take ten days' rations and make a circuit around 
Fake Okeechobee. He followed out the commands given 
him, but found no Indians, and then was ordered to Camp 
Rogers. 

While at Camp Rogers, the day after arrival, we heard 
a peculiar noise, like cows bellowing, ard we were or- 
dered into the Big Cypress to investigate it. Proceeding 
some distance, we found an Indian trail and followed 
it to a large Indian village, where we found the natives 
had just left. We took the trail and followed them, go- 
ing about three miles, when the enemy began coming 
together. Two of our men fell sick and we had to leave 
them behind. The trailer took two men and followed the 
Indian path, soon finding the track of a pickaninny, 
made to decoy our men. 

While in the thickest of the woods, the Indians opened 
fire on the party, firing about seventy shots. One of the 
white men was killed, and another had his gun stock 
cut by a bullet. The balance of the command, hearing 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 59 

the shots, ran to the assistance of the trailer and liis hv- 
ing companion, pursuing the Indians for some distance. 
They were unable, however, to overtake them, and the 
whole cypress, during the affray, resounded vvith the 
defiant warwhoops of the savages. Finding pursuit use- 
less, our men then fell back to where we had left our 
knapsacks, and buried the man w^ho was killed in the 
early part of the conilict. Intending the decoy the In- 
dians on our way back to camp, we lay in ambush in a 
little hammock for about two hours. Then tw^o Indians 
came along, talking together as they walked along the 
trail. We shot them both down in their tracks from our 
ambush, and waited for fresh victims. Two or three 
hours later a party of eighteen red men came along the 
same route, and as they came to where their two com- 
panions were lying dead, one of the warriors exclaimed, 
in broken English profanity, — 

"Damn then, we vv^ill get some of them yet!" 
Believing that they would surround the hammock that 
night and charge it at daybreak, we fell back to our camp. 
Returning to the Cypress the following day, we surprised 
the Indians and killed nineteen of them, besides captur- 
ing nineteen in their camp. The following week we 
spent in the edge of the Cypress, at Fort Rogers, and 
we put our horses in Bowlegs' garden to graze. The 
Indians made an attack on our guards, ran them back 
into cam]), and captured and killed thirty-six of the 
horses, which seriously crippled our forces for the time 
being. A few days later two of Captain Stewart's men 
went into the Cypress to cut some cabbage palmetto 
buds, when two Indians fired on them, killing one and 
running the other into camp. They followed closely, 
cutting at him with a knife as he ran for safety. 

After numerous other affrays with ' the Indians on 
the part of our command and others, the Indians w^ere 
<lefeated and most of them captured. Major Dodier was 



,1 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

detailed to carry them to Fort Myers, where they staid 
about ten days, when the steamer Gray Cloud arrived to 
transport them to Egmont Key, at the mouth of Tampa 
Bay, the point at which they were concentrated prior 
to being sent out to their reservation in Indian Terri- 
tory. 

Amongst other captives was Tiger Tail. He was 
determined not to leave Florida alive, and committed 
suicide while at Myers, in a horrible manner. The 
morning they were to leave, he procured a quantity of 
glass, which he pounded fine, and swallowed in a glass 
of water. While the guards were taking him down to 
the dock where the steamer lay waiting, he told Samp- 
son, the negro interpreter, that he was going to die. 
At the same time he asked the guards to let him lie down, 
which they permitted him to do. Spreading his pallet 
upon the ground, he laid himself on it, and in a few min- 
utes, with the Indian's stoical indifference to the pain 
he suffered, and to the approach of death, he died. His 
daughter was with him, and when he breathed his last 
she threw herself upon his dead body, wailing so pite- 
ously that the bystanders, men used as they were to 
death and sorrow, could not keep back their tears. 

Tiger Tail was buried at Fort Myers, in the land he 
loved better than his own life. Whatever his faults 
were, he was a brave chief, and valiantly defended the 
land in which he was born, and which be felt was his 
birthright, and it was fitting that he should find his last 
resting place in its bosom, where all, red men and white, 
are the same when they sleep the sleep that knows no 
waking in this world. 

ATTACK ON BRADEN CASTLE. 

Corrallated with the history of South Florida stands 
the present town of Manatee — the oldest town on the 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 61 

peninsula south of Tampa. Its settlement dates back 
to the fall of 1841, when it became the first and only 
frontier town of that section, its settlement coming short- 
ly after the close of the long five years' war with the 
Seminoles. 

Conspicuous in the history of Manatee were some of 
the exciting and tragic events of the Indian outbreaks 
from 1849 to 1858. During these years the Indians fre- 
quented Manatee, and at some seasons of the year they 
were there almost daily, visiting the town for the pur- 
pose of trading. 

Knowing the suspicious and treacherous nature of the 
red men — how soon a conceived wrong would prompt 
him to revenge, the sugar planter of that section lived 
in nightly dread of the torch to his sugar house, and the 
women and children in dread of the Indian's tomahawk 
and scalping knife. 

Prominent among the Indians' attempted depreda- 
tions on the town of Manatee was their unexpected at- 
tack upon Dr. Joseph Braden in his castle home, on the 
banks of the Manatee river. Braden Castle is a build- 
ing made of shell, lime and sand — and which stands to- 
day, a prominent mark, on the beautiful river. The con- 
struction of the building in this instance proved a shield 
against the torch and saved the lives of its inmates from 
the red men. A more cautious man than Dr. Braden 
never lived, and he was well protected against this at- 
tack upon his castle. To see that all of his family, to- 
gether with any visitors and his servants were all in 
the house, doors barred and windows closed, was a duty 
promptly attended to at sunset of each day, as a guard 
against any surprise from an Indian raid. 

This precaution on the part of Dr. Braden was his 
salvation, for in the spring of 1856, at the hour of dusk, 
while he and his family were seated at the supper table, 
a rap was heard upon the front door. A servant girl 



62 LIFE AND ADVENTURE'S IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

Upstairs, prompted by curiosity to see who the callers 
might be at that hour, cautiously peeped from an up- 
stairs window. In the dim light she recognized the 
callers as Indians, judging largely from their dress and 
general appearance and what appeared to be guns in 
their har.ds. 

Hastening down stairs, the girl met her master in the 
hall approaching the front door, and quietly gave him 
her impressions of the visitors. Dr. Braden, being amply 
supplied with arms, and there being two gentlemen 
friends stopping with him at the time — Freeman Chairs, 
of Tallahassee, and Rev. T. T. Sealey — ^^he immediately 
went up stairs. With his gun in his hand, Dr. Braden 
approached the window from which the Indians had 
been seen by the servant, and looked out. He saw a 
number of forms standing on the porch and he called 
to them, asking who they were and what they wanted. 
A cautious man is always a conscientious man and not 
prone to act hastily, lest some sad mistake be made. 
He prepared to be thoroughly satisfied that his visitors 
on this occasion were hostile Indians before he took 
action, and to be sure that they understood his English 
when he called to them. He told them that if they did 
not answer him he would shoot. 

The reply to this was the crack of several rifles and 
the thud of several bullets as they imbedded themselves 
in the window casing near Dr. Braden's head. During 
the quick retreat of the Indians from Dr. Braden's front 
porch he responded to them with his shotgun, wounding 
one of their number. Several shots were exchanged at 
random, mixed with a great deal of Indian profanity in 
English. 

The Indians made their retreat through Dr. Braden's 
plantation. They made captives of several negroes, and 
stole a number of mules to carry away their captives 
and booty. This was an ill-conceived plan, for it ren- 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 63 

dered pursuit easy, their plain trail being easy to follow. 

The firing at Braden Castle was heard for some 
distance by the neighbors, and the people were quickly 
aroused and a company formed for ininiediate pursuit 
of the marauders. 

This attack on Braden Castle immediately followed 
and was by the same band that had appeared at Sara- 
sota, wdiere they had killed Captain Owens and burned 
the house over him, they having proceeded immediately 
to Manatee from this depredation. 

The alarm was immediately given at Sarasota, and 
Wm. H. Whitaker dispatched to Fort Meade for help. 
The pursuing party from the Manatee section was head- 
ed by Capt. John Addison, his son Lieut. Wm. Addison, 
Sergt. Dave Townsend, and John Whidden, the trailer. 
This party overhauled the Indians at Peace Creek, where 
the Indians were found encamped on the east side, an- 
other Indian having met them at this point. This Indian 
was evidently waiting for the party, as he had a bar- 
becued beef ready for them. 

The white men remained in ambush on the west 
side of the creek and listened to a conversation which 
took place between old Uncle Peter, a negro, and Billy 
Bowlegs' son. 

"I intend to give my father one of these mules, and 
the other I will keep for myself." said Bowlegs to Uncle 
Peter. 

The following day, at daybreak, the Indians broke 
camp and made their way to Joshua's creek, where they 
intended to take their dinner. While they were enjoy- 
ing their repast, having no guard on duty, the cowboys 
charged them. Peter, the negro, heard the sound of the 
horses hoofs and cried out, ''Cowboys!" This startled 
the Indians and they attempted to rise. Captain Addi- 
son charged on them and fired. One Indian said "Wau !'' 
and fell into the creek and disappeared. Three otliers 



64 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IX SOUTH FLORIDA. 

ran clown the creek and two went up. Lieutenant Addi- 
son dismounted, ran into the swamp and met the Indi- 
ans in a ravine, killed the one in the lead and shot the 
other one. who jumped into a hole of water, at the same 
time exclaiming "Waugh ! good Indian/' Addison made 
him come out and led him to the other cowboys. 

In the meantime Dave Townsend had captured an 
Indian pony, which he rode all through the Indian war. 

After this Captain Addison reported to the governor, 
who gave him a commission to organize a company. 
Among others he recruited eight men from Leon county, 
one of these men being J. A. Redd, who is now located 
at Sarasota, in ]\Ianatee county. ^\v. J. A. Redd has 
been a much valued and very successful Baptist preacher 
for thirty years. He is also interested in the mercantile 
and livery business in his town. I recently paid him a 
very pleasant visit at his hospitable home, and we spent 
several very pleasant hours in our Indian war reminis- 
cences. 



■\Iy next chapter will tell of how we made a trip 
through the weird and gloomy Big Cypress, and that 
will conclude the first part of the book. 



CHAPTER XL 

A SEVEN DAYS' SCOUT THROUGH THE BIG CYPRESS- 
CLOSING SCENES. 

The Everglades and Big Cypress are great problems, 
in themselves, which can only be solved by time and in- 
genuity. It would seem as if the climate — the counter- 
part of which is found nowhere else on the globe — were 
not to be enjoyed by the settler here. But those who 
have had the temerity to venture into these vast soli- 
tudes, have often returned with the consciousness of hav- 
ing had a very pleasant time, and the botanist and natur- 
alist was never heard to complain of the scarcity of the 
flora and fauna of those "dim, mysterious regions." As 
I have said in a former chapter, I consider it a misrepre- 
sentation for any one to call the Everglades a "winter 
resort.'' The Everglades are simply immense stretches 
of long, low, level prairie, covered for the most part with 
water and saw-grass, and dotted with little islands. This 
region of country is some eight or ten feet above the sea, 
and I do not think the highest elevation can exceed fif- 
teen feet. The great drainage scheme inaugurated by 
Disston is a fine idea and the solution of .the problem 
he has undertaken is an object of unlimited discussion, 
and I think that a successful termination of the project 
would be of untold benefit to Florida and the whole 
South. But I think somebody ought to turn his atten- 
tion to the Big Cypress. There are islands in there that, 
for fertility, are equal to the delta of the Nile. 

You are put to a great deal of trouble in gaining access 
to these islands, but a visit will repay a long journey. 
Some of these beautiful bodies of land are elevated many 



66 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

feet above the water, and the soil is something wonderful. 
The Indians raised very fine rice on these bodies of ham- 
mock, and that region may be termed, with propriety, 
the home of the banana, for frost seldom, if ever, enters 
-the dominion of the Big Cypress. Pineapples would run 
riot. But little game is found, except around the borders. 

One man, in walking over this soil (so says an old 
tradition), was so deeply impressed with its fertile ap- 
pearance, that he took a tenpenny nail from his pocket 
and planted it near a tree, which he marked for future 
reference. When six months had gone by, he returned 
to the spot, and dug for the nail. To his surprise, he 
found that it had grown into a crowbar, four feet long! 
A wonderful result, certainly, but as I didn't see the nail 
planted, nor the crowbar harvested, I can't vouch for the 
truth of the story. 

It is difficult to imagine the impressive solemnity of 
this mighty forest, unless one takes a trip through it. 
Strange, unwholesome legends are rife among the Semi- 
nole Indians (who are less inclined to superstition than 
many other tribes) concerning the death-dealing charac- 
ter of certain things to be found in the Big Cypress, and 
it is a brave warrior indeed, who undertakes to enter the 
dread "coontee-sassa-hollober" after nightfall. 

But the resolute band of soldiers were preparing to 
prove themselves greater objects of dread to the eesta- 
chatta than any goblin that might have its lair in the 
coontee-sassa-hollober. 

At an early hour we brought our boats into Marco 
river, and steered for the Big Cypress. Our course was 
to the southeast, and after we entered Palm Hammock 
creek, we followed that stream for nine or ten miles, and 
came to its head. A grassy prairie, half a mile wide, lay 
ahead, and after crossing that we entered the Little Royal 
Palm HamT-Ock and struck camp. The land was nice and 
dry, and the air seemed somewhat purer. Did you ever see 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 67 

the famous royal palm, or Oreodoxia re^c^ia : If }ou have 
not, a description might interest you. At this place the 
trees were nearly a hundred and twenty feet high, and 
stood fifteen or twenty feet apart. Tht trunks are white,, 
as smooth as polished marble, and as straight as an ar- 
row. Near the top the trunk is bright green, and jointed 
like sugar cane, surmounted by an immense crown of= 
leaves, the stems of which are sometimes fifteen feet 
long. No animal not provided with wings, can climb 
these lofty palms. The royal palm is one of the finest 
trees in all the vegetable kingdom, and surely Florida can 
boast of nothing more uniquely grand or singularly beau- 
tiful. 

Our course next day lay to the eastward, and the im- 
mense swamp lay before us and around us. The cypress 
trees were never more than twenty inches in diameter, 
and were covered with poisonous vin^s, whose velvety 
leaves we avoided as we would shun fire. Especially is 
a person in danger when freely perspiring ; then the pores 
of the body are open, and the skin is peculiarly suscepti- 
ble to poisoning from contact with the vines. The ar- 
boreal Rhus toxicodendron, or "devil's shoe-string," and 
the dreaded Rhus vernix, or "thunderwood," were pointed 
out to us as being worse than the "terrible upas tree. 

One of the men, a Spaniard, named Johnnie Ortagus 
(a native of St. Augustine), was the most expert climber 
I ever saw. And he seemed invulnerable to the poison- 
ous vines, for he could handle them without being in- 
jured. He could take one of the vines in his hands and 
scale the tallest tree in a few minutes. His climbing 
powers were scarcely inferior to those of a squirrel. 
Colonel St. George Rogers directed him to climb the tall- 
est trees and inspect the surroundings. In. this way we 
could gain some idea of the course th^t lay before us. 
Artagus, in reply to ([uestions from Colonel Rogers, 
would describe the countrv ahead, and we would direct 



68 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

our course acordingly. (Mr. Ortagus is now a hale, vig-- 
orous old gentleman, and keeps a restaurant in Jackson- 
ville.) 

The water through which we traveled was never more 
than six inches deep, and was strongly impregnated with 
lime, but we were forced to drink it. Sometimes we came 
to high ridges of land, covered with stunted pines and 
various species of palmetto. These curious plants grew 
in the utmost profusion and luxuriance ; the saw-palmetto, 
the trunk of which is usually in the form of a long, creep- 
ing rhizome, reared high in the air, almost like trees. 
Here we found the needle-palm, with its myriads of long, 
sharp spines ; the cabbage palm, and the blue-stem. 

After leaving these ridges (which were, as a rule, not 
more than half a mile across) we would generally descend 
into a low, lime prairie, which stretched north and south 
as far as the eye could reach. In the afternoon we 
reached the Big Royal Palm Hammock. Following the 
trail through the low, wet swamp, we suddenly encoun- 
tered a high slope, which led us into the Big Hammock. 
O, what relief, and an inspiration it was, after the dreary 
march through the cypress! The lofty palms towered 
toward heaven, lifting their spreading summits far above 
the big live oaks and gumbolimbos. There was a large 
clearing here, and some of the oaks were covered with 
'pumpkin and bean vines ; many of these trees were loaded 
with green and ripe pumpkins, which gave rise to the 
fancy that they were the fruit of the tree itself. Banana 
plants, fifteen feet or more in height, and immense corn, 
were among the products of this fertile region. With- 
out stopping to destroy what the Indians had planted, 
we proceeded onward in search of the planters them- 
selves. 

We then came to a deserted village, on an island three 
miles from Big Hammock. This was Saf-faj-eehojee's 
Town, and from the appearance of the log huts, with their 



LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 69 

fallen-in palmetto roofs, we judged that the town had 
been deserted for a couple of years. We saw no fresh 
signs, and went on, and before long came to another vil- 
lige, graced with the name of Emathle-ochee's Town. 
Farther on was Fin-halloway's metropolis, where a few 
logs lying in a square, told us that there was once an 
attempt at building a city, at this place. Here we saw 
plenty of fresh Indian signs, and followed the trail with 
greater activity than ever. 

The march was a dreary and monotonous one. Seven 
long days we marched, and no glimpse of an Indian re- 
warded our anxious gaze. Captain Dick Turner was our 
guide. He had never been through there before, but his 
services as a guide w^ere well rendered. So well did he 
pilot us through this trackless wilderness that, in a march 
of seventy-five miles, we missed our destination by only 
two miles. (When I revisited Chocaliska Bay^, in 1880, 
in company with Prof. A. H. Curtiss, I was pleased to 
see Captain Turner pleasantly located on the Bay, sur- 
rounded by rich fields of sugar cane, orange groves and 
banana gardens. Truly, the "Captain'' is w^ell fixed, but 
not a whit better than he deserves.) 

Finally we came to the Ock-kollowah-cootchee. Long 
and frightful as this name may seem, it was no worse than 
the thing itself. It was a field of dense saw-grass, about 
four miles wide. The grass was two feet higher than 
our heads, and was so dense that we could not see a foot 
ahead of us. One man was selected to break the road, 
so that the others could pass. No man could endure this 
task more than five minutes, and first one and then an- 
other ''took turns" at pushing in front ; the side and shoul- 
ders were used in this laborious and painful work. To 
add to our misery, the sun shone with terrible force upon 
us, and not a breath of fresh air could reach us. Worse 
than all, the water was poison, and our fe^t soon felt the 
effects of it. The men, who were grumbling before, 



70 [AFV: AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

lificil uj) their voices an'd gave vent to some hair-lifting* 
e\pressii>ns. 'Hie volunteers from Middle Florida, who 
had ue\ er experienced the like before, were almost furi- 
ous. But in time we emers^ed from the dreadful Ock- 
kollowah-ccM^tchee. and reached h\^rt Simon Drum. 

There we were joined h}' other soldiers, and made our 
way to h'ort M\ers. At that place we boarded the 
steamer for l-'ort r»rooke. We were there mustered out 
of the ser\ ice. and bade each other good-by. 

Mv readers ha\e indeed been patient in following me 
thus far. My n,arrati\e has been necessarily a prosaic 
one. for 1 started out with the determination of telling 
nothing but the unvarnished truth. Many of the old set- 
tlers can bear witness to the truth of my descriptions, 
and would not be slow to detect any misstatement I 
might make. 1 am loth to part with the comrades who 
accompanied me through many hardships and vicissi- 
tudes. My journeys through the far South have been 
varied and full of incident, and in the second part of my 
little book. T have endeavored to give a siew phase of 
hlorida life, which will, T hope, leave an agreeable im- 
pression on the reader, who has been so patient to follow 
me thus far. 

As to the subseciuent life of my companions-in-arms, 
I can say but little. Captain Jacob Mickler was killed 
shortly after the war, by being throAvn from his buggy, 
near Lake City. Andrew Wiggins disappeared from ex- 
istence, as it were, \vithout leaving a trace of himself. 
Ed. Marr died in 1864, on Indian river; and Jim Cook, 
the dauntless warrior and true hearted gentleman — 
rough-hewn though he was — departed from a useful life, 
near Tampa, a few years ago, honored and admired by 
all wlu^ knew him. 

[KND OF PART I.] 



TO THE PIONEERS OF SOUTH FLORIDA. 71 



TO THE PIONEERS OF SOUTH FLORIDA. 

We have found, with pride and pleasure. 

That our own fair State is known 
To the world as the brightest treasure 

Of the semi-tropic zone, 
For the East and the West awaken 

To the glory of the South, 
And the wondrous story is taken 

Through the North, from mouth to mouth 
Of a land, of which they were dreaming. 

As though it were not earth, 
But which, today, is beaming 

In the light of its real worth. 
Where the winds of evening, sighing 

Through the leaves of the cabbage-palm, 
E''er whisper of peace undying. 

And a life of blissful calm; 
A land where Time ne'er bringeth 

The snow, nor the dead leaves' fall, 
And the angel of summer wingeth 

Her flight through the forest hall. 
Where the sons of the colder regions 

Have found a home and retreat — 
And they come in happy legions. 

Away from the snow and sleet. 
But the land of endless summer, 

Where the orange and the lemon grow, 
Had little to offer to the comer. 

In the days of Ion?? ago. 



Then, the warriors, in their glory. 

Through the virgin forest roamed. 
And 'neath the live oaks, old and hoary, 

They passed, with locks uncombed, 
And an eye that mocked at capture. 

And scorned a prisoner's chain — 
Will they thrill, with a hunter's rapture, 

In the olden haunts again? 
Ah, no; for civilization 

Has banished each swarthy face, 
And now, the Seminole nation, 

Is a half -for gotten race. 



72 TO THE PIONEERS OF SOUTH FLORIDA. 

The guava and lime are growing, 

Where once they slaughtered the deer, 
And engine-whistles 'are blowing, 

Where the war-whoop smote the ear. 
The orange its fruit produces, 

Where the Indian wigwam stood, 
And offers us golden juices, 

Instead of an enemy's blood. 
The Sabbath bells are ringing 

O'er hammock and tangled brake, 
And we hear the children singing. 

By the shore of the woodland lake. 
Then we ask: Who fought for the honor 

Of our own South I^iorida — 
And who are they, that have won her. 

The glory she wears today? 



We hail them: Hughey and Holden, 
Yates, Barber and Summerlin — 
Their harvest is rich and golden, 

And bountifully gathered in — 
Hendry, Patrick and Lanier, 

Hamcock, and Speer, and Bass — 
Each dauntless pioneer 

Began in the wire-grass; 
And, wresting the land from the gopher. 

They planted the trees that gleam 
With the treasures of 'ancient Ophir^ 

And Pactolus' magic stream. 
Through the long, dark years of waiting. 

With their noble wives by their side. 
And with courage never abating, 

They watched for the. turn of the tide; 
And now, in their life's declining. 

Their evening sun is shed 
On fruit-filled branches twining 

ijike laurels above their head. 
Let us wind them a wreath of honor, 

From the yellow jessamine — 
Yea, drink to their health and honor. 

In shaddock and orange wine! 

— Sigma. 



SOUTH FLORIDA 



PART SECOND. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDPi. 



RART 2. 



SKETCHES OF TRAVEL, INCIDENT AND ADVENTURE 
AMONG THE LAKES AND HAMMOCKS OF 

SEMI-TROPICAL FLORIDA. 



CHAPTER L 



HOW SPONGES ARE GATHERED AND DISPOSED OF AT 
KEY WEST. 

There is no town in the world that is anything Hke the 
<:ounterpart of Key West. Lying, as it does, at the very 
threshold of the tropics, it comhines, in a rare degree, the 
snap and vim of the northern clime, with the laxative 
breath from gardens smothered in the flowers and trees 
■of the equatorial regions. On one side is seen the sym- 
metrical crown of -the Australian fir, and close by a 
stately cocoa-palm rears its head. The dark-eyed Cuban 
jostles the Georgia "nigger" in the busy market places, 
and the tall, lank, hawk-nosed 'Mand-stalker" is a Yankee, 
and no mistake, but, like the rest of his peculiar race, has 
a faculty of making himself at home, under all circum- 
stances and on all occasions, which you can easily infer 
from the coolness with which he button-holes everj- an- 
cient (or modem) Cracker who comes to town with a 
^'kyart load" of garden truck. The sea breezes are just 



76 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

as pleasant as anybody ever said they were, and I count 
the town among the nicest places I have seen in the State. 

I have seen Key West described as a paradise for lazy 
men. This is a misrepresentation, and if the writer of 
that article had ever been there, he would have thought 
and written differently, — especially if he had ever hap- 
pened to be without money. 

Sponge-gathering and cigar-making are the chief in- 
dustries of the place, and the former occupation is re- 
sorted to by those who cannot endure the strong, nar- 
cotic fumes of the cigar factories. 

I lived in Key West fully six years before the idea oc- 
curred to me to try my fortune among the spongers. 
Vessel after vessel came in with their precious freight, 
attracting hordes of anxious buyers, and the fishermen 
generally brought in no less than one thousand pounds, 
which sold readily for a dollar a pound. Finally I decid- 
ed that the "briny deep" should yield up to me some of 
its treasure, and secured a berth on one of the spongers 
that plied around the Keys. Besides myself, there were 
about twenty-five men, who were going to try their for- 
tunes in the business. The manner of fitting out an ex- 
pedition is as follows : 

A vessel is engaged from some owner, who agrees to 
take half the amount of sponges gathered for the hire of 
his boat. A stock of provisions is laid in, and each 
sponge-gatherer is provided with a long pole and hook- 
The voyages are never more than eight weeks in length, 
and in that time, if the ''catch" has been successful, there 
ought to be eight hundred "bunches" on board. A bunch 
weighs about two pounds and is worth at present about 
four dollars, although at the time I was engaged in the 
business the sponger could get only a dollar a pound. 

Our crew set sail, and after a four days' voyage we 
came to the Anclote Keys, then a noted sponging ground. 
When we reached the grounds the small boats were: 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 77 

launched and other preparations made for the business. 
We had four of these small boats, and each boat was 
sent out with a man who was armed with a twenty-five- 
foot pole, with two prongs at the end. I rowed my little 
vessel some distance from the ship and began looking for 
sponges. 

The water was very clear and about twelve feet deep. 
The bottom was covered with myriads of curious and 
beautiful growths, such as the Fenestrella, or sea-fan ; 
the sea-feather, and tall, tree-like plants, which I could 
not classify. White rocks covered the bottom, and on 
these I could see thousands of young sponges growing. 
They were a glossy black, and most of them too small 
to be gathered. But as I went on I could see larger 
specimens, and finally I reached downward and drew up 
a fine one. There are many varieties of sponges, the 
sheep's-wool variety being the most valuable of all. Next 
in order come the yellow sponge, the ''glove," the ''grass," 
"boat," and "loggerhead." The last named variety is 
absolutely worthless, and is never gathered. The sheep's- 
wool is distinguished from other kinds by a m^iltitude of 
small protuberances, and by its shining black color. 

Thrusting the pole downward through the water, I 
inserted the prongs under the largest of the sponges, and 
it took but little exertion to detach them from the rock 
to which they were growing. When brought to the 
surface, the sponge appears to be a soft, limp mass of 
jelly. A tough, black membrane envelopes it all over, 
and this is not removed until the next day. The sponge, 
after lying out of the water, dies within a few hours, 
and the animal tissue dissolves, forming a dark, ill-smell- 
ing fluid, which the natives call "gurry.'' 

We had selected a spot where the water was only 
five feet deep, and had driven a circular row of mangrove 
stakes, forming a pen, which we termed a "kraal." Sev- 
eral of these kraals had been made, and to one of them 



78 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

I carried my load of sponges on the day after they had 
been gathered. Some of the others had also brought 
loads in, and after letting them soak awhile we began 
beating them with sticks and punching them about in 
the water, inside the kraals. In an hour or so the black, 
outside scurf, or membrane was gone, also all traces of 
the animal tissue were washed away, leaving nothing but 
the skeleton sponge. Then we took needles and thread 
and made them into bunches, so they could be handled 
easily. Afterward they were taken to the ship. 

Deep-water sponging is a much more laborious opera- 
tion. Two men set out in a boat and seek a suitable spot 
where the water is not more than thirty feet deep. One 
of these men sculls the boat gently along, while the other 
takes a glass, constructed for the purpose, and leaning 
over the side of the boat, examines the bottom closely. 
As soon as a large sponge is discovered they stop, and 
the long, slender pole is let down into the water with a 
sweep of the arm, which is acquired only through a long 
and tiresome experience. Some of the largest of all 
sponges are found in deep water, and there has been so 
much gathering done in the shallow places that one is 
forced to seek deeper water or give up the business. 

When the ''catch" was completed, we returned to Key 
West and sold our sponges. They were separated into 
lots, and a large number of buyers inspected each lot 
and made bids. Whenever a buyer has made his bid, 
the auctioneer proceeds to call out the amount bid for 
each lot, and thus each cargo or parcel of sponges is 
consigned to the highest bidder. I have seen as much 
as fourteen thousand dollars' worth of sponges sold in 
a few hours, at Key West. The price at that time was 
about one dollar a pound, but owing to the increased 
demand, and perhaps decreasing supply, the price is dou- 
bled. I have been reliably informed that substantial 
steps have been taken toward preserving them from ex- 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 79 

tinction by planting them, and "cultivaiing" them, as it 
were. I cannot tell the reader just how that is done, but 
no doubt it is practiced successfully. If they have done 
that much I shall not be at all surprised to learn that 
they have since built large factories in Key West, where 
sponges are manufactured, by the wholesale, from saw- 
palmetto and wool. 

Nearly all the sponges around the coast of Florida 
were destroyed some eight or ten years ago by some mys- 
terious, unaccountable calamity. The first sign of the 
hidden scourge was the appearance of dead fish on the 
surface of the water, and soon the shores were lined with 
their dead bodies, and the air became almost pestilential. 
The oldest and most experienced fishermen were at a 
loss to account for it. Finally somebody noticed that 
there were green streaks in the water, two or three 
hundred feet wide and many miles long, occurring at 
intervals around the coast, from the mouth of the With- 
lacoochee river to Biscayne Bay. The poisonous strips 
of water were found as far as thirty miles out at sea, 
and nearly everything was killed in their wake. Even 
the sponges were destroyed, and fish became very scarce 
in the markets along the coast. Many houses in Key 
West are provided with cupolas which are used for look- 
ing out for wrecks on the reef. From these cupolas we 
could see immense quantities of dead fish of all sizes, 
from the largest sharks down, floating on the water. On 
the shore were myriads of the strangest looking fish I 
ever saw. ar.d there were some species of which no one 
had ever before heard or seen, and which must have come 
from very deep water. Even the dreaded moray (a 
long, slender, serpent-like fish, which lives in holes in 
the rocks, where the water is a few fathoms deep, and 
whose bite is very painful and dangerous),. and thousands 
of sponges of all varieties, besides many curious species 
of crustaceans, lined the shores in hea])s, and the task 



80 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

of burying them was no light matter. Porpoises seemed 
to be the only kind of creature that could withstand the 
mysterious poison. 

Fishing smacks, on their way to Cuba with a cargo 
of live fish on board, sometimes encountered these streaks 
of dark green water. As soon as the smacks entered the 
poisoned waten the fish, which were kept in ''wells'' in 
the bottom of the boats, commenced floundering and 
dashing around, and in a few moments turned on their 
backs and died. In this way many of the poor fisher- 
men lost the fruits of their hard labor and were forced 
to put about and return to their fishing grounds. The 
strange plague lasted a month or two, when the green 
streaks disappeared, but it was a good while before fish 
became plentiful again. 

Many theories were advanced concerning this curious 
occurrence, but I have never regarded any of them as 
entirely satisfactory. Some people thought it was a 
poisonous liquid that flowed from the Withlacoochee, 
and, mingling with the Gulf Stream, encircled the penin- 
sula. I don't believe a word of that, for there is noth- 
ing in any Florida river to produce such a result. Oth- 
ers, with more cogency, insisted that there had been 
some eruption on the bottom of the ocean, whereby an 
immense quantity of acid or gas was liberated, causing 
death and destruction to almost everything with which it 
came in contact. I don't suppose the real cause of the 
mysterious plague will ever be found out, but the fact 
of its having destroyed millions of dollars' worth of fish 
is well known amoAg those who were living around the 
coast at that time. 



CHAPTER II. 

CATCHING THE MANATEE, OR SEA-COW, ON THE ST. 
LUCIE— DESCRIPTION OF THE CURIOUS CREATURE. 

The St. Lucie river is one of the shortest in the State, 
if not in America, being only ten miles in length. It is, 
however, scarcely a separate, clearly defined river, and 
some contend that it is merely a part of Indian river. A 
small stream is formed from the water that oozes from 
the Halpattee-oka Flats, and broadens and deepens until 
it is navigable for small boats, and when it reaches St. 
Lucie bay it is of quite a respectable size. 

There is something peculiar about this stream. Along 
its banks plants are found which are sought ia vain else- 
where ; and the Indians regard it with mysterious awe, 
so that it might be with propriety called the Ganges of 
the Seminoles. But the characteristic which gives it 
such importance in the eye of the hunter is that here 
the rare manatee is to be found. These animals were 
once quite abundant, in many parts of the extreme South, 
but I think I can with propriety assert that the St. Lucie 
river is the only place where the manatee can be looked 
for with any degree of certainty. The high prices paid 
for these rare animals induce many people in this region 
to hunt them, and it was my good fortune once to be 
present at the capture of a large one. 

Perhaps it would be better to give a description of 
the manatee before we proceed to tell how they are 
caught. It is a difficult task, for we have here to deal 
with a creature whose like is not to be found anywhere. 
A more awkward, helpless and curious -creature than the 
manatee, when landed, I never saw. The head is broad 



82 SCENES IX SOUTH FLORIDA. 

and the eyes are completely hidden by heavy folds of 
skin, and the mouth is shaped very much like that of a 
cow. in every way but the teeth. These are so long and 
sharp that one might at tirst be led to believe that they 
belonged to a carniverous animal. The sea-cow, never- 
theless, is a strict vegetarian, and eats nothing but 
aquatic plants. It has been asserted that its only food 
is the manatee-grass, which grows in immense quanti- 
ties in the St. Lucie river. This grass has large, broad 
blades, and is found in eight or ten feet of water, grow- 
ing on the bottom and extending to the surface. 

A full grown manatee should weigh about twelve hun- 
dred pounds, although one monster was captured, many 
years ago, which weighed fifteen hundred. Such a 
one would be twelve feet in length, and have a girth 
of four feet. They are provided with dippers about ten 
inches in length, and the body diminishes into a large 
fan-like tail, similar to a porpoise. The skin is black 
and sparsely covered with short, black hair. They move 
with considerable rapidity through the water, and al- 
though a most clumsy-looking animal w^hen on land, they 
understand very well how to conduct themselves in their 
native element. They possess, perhaps, the most acute 
hearing of all animals. So delicate and perfect is this 
sense in the manatee that the sound of an oar, no matter 
how carefully handled, will alarm them at a distance of 
half a mile. It is a common habit, in Key West, in 
speaking of a man whose hearing is acute, to say that 
he hears like a. manatee. This is a wise dispensation of 
Providence, for the manatee is lacking in almost every 
ordinary means of self-defense. When caught, they 
never attempt to bite, and cannot in any way resent the 
indignities ofi'ered by their captors. 

I tasted manatee flesh once, and shall never forget 
it. The fattest, juciest Tennessee beef is by no means 
equal to it. and I very much doubt if there is anything 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 83 

in the animal kingdom that is so entirely delicious. One 
of them was stranded on the beach near St. Lucie bay, 
and some hunters found and killed it, and that was the 
time I found an opportunity to test the flavor of the flesh. 

In the year 1858 I met a man named Kelly who, with 
two or three others, had started out on a manatee hunt. 
They had a large marlin net, and a wooden tank for the 
purpose of keeping the animal should one be caught. 

The spot selected was a cove, formed by a bend of the 
river, where the water was twelve feet deep. The net, 
which was three hundred feet long, was extended be- 
twen stakes set firmly in the bottom, and the hunters 
retired to their huts in the adjacent hammock, and pa- 
tiently awaited results. Two or three times a day we 
went down and inspected the net, but nothing was to be 
seen, except an occasional alligator, who beat a hasty 
retreat through the large meshes, as soon as he per- 
ceived the danger he was in. A small rowboat was use5 
in going to and from the net, which was a quarter of a 
mile from the shore. 

After two weeks of waiting we were at last rewarded 
by seeing the floats bobbing about in a lively fashion, one 
morning when we visited the nets. Excitedly, but with 
sure movements, the men took a bundle of inch rope 
and set out for the captured prize, who was creating 
quite a commotion in the water, and tangling himself 
up beautifully in the relentless meshes of the marlin. J 
did not go out in the boat and consequently did not get 
the first sight of the monster, but they soon tugged him 
into shallow water. A combination of ropes and puHeys 
was arranged and he was dragged ashore, and with hi^ 
twelve hundred pounds he was by no means easily man- 
aged. He was then placed in the tank, which was six 
by ten feet, and kept until a sloop arrived, which car- 
ried the precious freight to Key AA^est. ' This was a male, 
and about a week afterward we caught a female, ^fhis 



84 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

was the only pair I know of ever having been, captured, 
and they should have brought quite a handsome price. 
But, as it was, they were fairly given away. As well as 
I can remember, they brought only seventy-five dollars. 
P. T. Barnum paid one thousand dollars in gold, some 
years ago, for a manatee not as large as some I have 
seen, and their extreme scarcity would now cause them 
to be valued at perhaps three times as much. 

The manatee was kept a week before the sloop ar- 
rived, and I formed quite an intimate acquaintance with 
the strange creature. For the first day or two he was 
shy, but I commenced scratching him on the head, and 
when he saw that my intentions w^ere good, our acquaint- 
ance ripened into something like friendship. I stroked 
and scratched his big, ugly head, and he opened his 
mouth and devoured bananas, cabbage leaves and deli- 
cate bits of vegetables which I offered him. Every time 
I came to the tank the huge beast would open his mouth 
for some little tidbit and present his head for a scratch- 
ing. During the week the water in the tank was changed 
twice — once with fresh and once with salt water ; one 
is as good as the other for the manatee. I had become 
quite interested in my pet before the week had passed 
by, and rather regretted the advent of the sloop which 
•carried him away. 

In days long gone by the Seminoles living in White- 
water bay, near Cape Sable, killed the manatee, jerked 
the flesh and sold it to the Spaniards at a good price, 
and ten years ago the meat could be bought at fifty cents a 
pound. Of course, the animals are becoming far too scarce 
to admit of its being sold at all. There is no doubt that 
the manatee is fast becoming an extinct animal. Like 
the dodo bird which flourished in the East in the middle 
ages but is now extinct, the sea-cow will pass out of ex- 
istence, and will be looked upon a few centuries hence 
as a monstrosity, and the only remaining trace of its 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 



85 



former existence will be a few old bones and an anti- 
quated volume containing a description of it. 




CHAPTER III. 

HUNTING BEE-TREES ON THE UPPER ST. JOHNS RIVER. 
A STORY AND A TRAGEDY. 

Life in Florida has its sweets and, like the grand- 
mother, its bitters also. Among the sweets of an exist- 
ence in the State may be reckoned the finding of bee- 
trees and consequent discovery of a fine lot of pure, rich,* 
wild honey. That is, provided the little insects do not 
take a notion to avenge the desecration of their castle 
and destruction of their treasure. And I have often 
known them to ''get in their work" on their human rob- 
bers in such a forcible manner as to render the job any- 
thing but sweet. 

Of course the incident I am about to relate was not 
the first of the kind I had experienced, for I had been 
familiar with bee-hunting since early boyhood. But I 
do not remember to have ever had such success as we 
had that time. The way it happened was thus : 

I was living on Indian river, near the mouth of the 
St. Sebastian, and one fine, sunny day in early spring, 
two of my neighbors came to me and proposed that we 
go on a hunt for bee-trees. The idea was favorable to 
me, for I had long been wishing for a taste of honey, 
and we made preparations for starting next day. Each 
took a gun and plenty of ammunition, together with 
provisions for a week. 

Bees and honey were not the only objects we were 
going to look for. Obeying an instinct which is very 
strong in many people to expect something better ahead, 
we thought we could find land in that region we were 
going to visit which would eclipse anything we had yet 



88 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

seen. Our destination was a certain region on the west 
side of the St. Johns river, near Lake Winder, about fifty 
miles away. We reached the place on the second day, 
and were (lisai)pointed to tiiul that the land was low and 
flat, and in every respect inferior to that which we had 
left behind. But we applied ourselves next day to the 
hunt for bee-trees, and were not disappointed. In the 
morning- we pressed our way through the briars and 
bushes of two or three bay-heads, and entered a low 
palmetto flat. It was not long before we heard a hum 
in th^ air, and one of my comrades, named Patrick, di- 
^rected a sharp glance upward and saw a few bees issu- 
ing from a hole in a large pine about thirty feet from the 
ground. Immediately afterward we found another tree 
which bore unmistakable evidence of being the home of 
a large quantity of bees. 

W'e marked the trees with our axes, scalping off the 
bark and leaving a broad, white mark which could be 
seen a long distance through the forest. Continuing 
through the woods, we kept our eyes and ears strained 
to detect the little workers. In going three-fourths of 
a mile we found no less than eight trees, and they all 
gave promise of a large yield of honey. ]>ut we post- 
poned cutting the trees until we had made a more thor- 
ough inspection of the surrounding country. 

That afternoon we shouldered our guns and went on 
a hunt for deer and hear. The St. Johns at this place 
was about one himdred feet across, and was navigable 
for small steamers, although none had ever penetrated 
that region at that time. We reached Lake Winder 
late in the afternoon. Near this like we found a clump 
of iine cal>bage-])alms, and heard a strange, ripping sound, 
as we drew near. Looking up in one of the trees we 
were astonished to see a large hear sitting on top, try- 
ing" to pull (Hit the tender bud of the palm. He had 
tkit toned out the crown lea\es so as t(^ form (|uito a good 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 89 

lodgment for himself, and was untiring in his efforts to 
extract the sweet, tender bud. He had not yet observed 
us, and was too much absorbed, perhaps, in the antici- 
pation of the delicious feast he was going to enjoy, to 
notice his surroundings. Finally the bud broke loose 
and the bear swung backward with all his weight, but 
the bud came out too easy. He had not calculated the 
sudden relaxation, and the result was that he lost his 
balance and came crashing to the ground. He hastily 
gathered himself up, and at the same moment his eyes 
fell on us. With a startled grunt he scrambled away 
into the bushes, and I must confess that by the time our 
firearms were in readiness, he was thrashing his way 
through the thicket, safely out of our reach. Pursuit 
was worse than useless, and it was growing late, so we 
returned to our camp. 

In spite of the low, flat character of the land, it had 
its charms. The saw-palmetto and loblolly bay were in 
bloom, and their heavy sweetness burdened the night air, 
while the ground was carpeted with the spicy, aromatic 
pennyroyal, which gave forth its aroma as we walked 
through it. As Patrick remarked, the conditions were 
in every way favorable for bees, and he confidently 
predicted that the yield of honey from our trees would 
be a large one. 

As early next morning as we could make preparations 
we commenced on the bees. Two of us took a good, 
keen ax apiece and proceeded. Our first tree was two 
feet in diameter, and "sound as a dollar." But our axes 
were sharp, and the thought of a solid yard of well- 
filled honeycomb braced our muscles, and the bees had 
hardly begun to get uneasy before their dwelling place 
trembled in its foundations, and soon smote the earth. 
They were somewhat stunned by the fall,' and I took ad- 
vantage of the opportunity by running forward and stop- 
ping the hole with a bunch of moss. 



90 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

About a foot from the hole we cut out a large chip 
and proceed cautiously to open up the hidden treasure. 
Meanwhile, one of the men took a short stick, wrapped 
a bunch of rags around it and set it on fire. This pro- 
duced a large volume of strong, suffocating smoke, and 
was intended to discourage the angry insects from pour- 
ing Cut of the holes and attacking us. 

Soon the honey was reached, and with very little trou- 
ble. Patrick reached into the hollow and drew out a 
huge piece of comb, covered with dead and crippled bees, 
and although thousands were crawling over his hands, 
none showed any disposition to sting. Whenever they 
tried to swarm out of their prison, an application of 
the burning rag would repress them ' instantly. From 
this tree we secured at least twenty-five pounds of the best 
honey that ever was gathered from flowers. We then 
retired to a shady spot, each with a large piece of comb, 
and after selecting a few large saw-palmetto leaves, we 
wove a net of them and deposited our treasure thereon. 
The bees soon filled the air around the fallen tree, and 
would have perhaps made it lively for any one who had 
had the temerity to approach them. 

Seated on a- log underneath a large cabbage-palm, 
we had before us a feast that would have tempted a dys- 
peptic anchorite. Be it known that three mortals on 
that day ate so much honey that they avowed the bees 
could have all the rest, for all they cared. But after 
the fierce thirst, occasioned by such a diet, was quenched, 
the work of destruction was renewed. 

With his hat on the ground under his feet, and his 
head thrown back against the palm-tree, Patrick was 
nibbling a choice bit of new unsealed comb, when he sud- 
denly remembered that he had an adventure to tell. He 
.was in that happy stage when the mind is as tranquil as 
a spring morning, and the stomach has earned the warm 
gratitude of its owner, for having such a liberal capacity. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 91 

Patrick was full — not quite too full for utterance, else 
we would have been compelled to forego the pleasure of 
learning just how and where he passed through such 
pleasant experiences. 

Clearing his throat with a consequential air, he be- 
gan : "When I joined Cap. H's. regiment, a couple of 
years ago, nobody ever thought about me a-gettin' any 
higher than a private, or a corporal, at the best. But I 
was a-gwine to prove jist what stuff was in me, and I 
^aved my reegiment, and don't you believe nothin' else." 

Of course we wanted to know how Pat had saved his 
regiment, and after waiting discreetly a few minutes, in 
order to give us an opportunity of asking him to continue 
his narrative, he proceeded : 

"Well, I tell you how it was : You see, we kinder got 
out o' grub. Now, I've knowed of reegiments that fowt 
like killin' snakes, but didn't have no shootin' irons, noth- 
er ; but when it comes to a lot of men fightin' when they 
hain't got enough in their craws to keep a week-old 
chicken alive two minutes, they hain't a-gwine to do 
much fightin', I can tell you. Well, it was just that bad 
with us. We tramped through swamps and over hills, 
and we couldn't shoot nothin', not even a kyarn crow, 
nor a buzzard. The Cap. had begun to look mighty 
black, and says he, 'Well, bullys, hit's about gittin' the 
best of us, this time, and we mowt as well say our pray- 
ers and hold a council of starvation,' says he. Says I, 
'Cap., I'm nothin' but a common soldier, but if you'll 
gimme a chance I'll dust around and have everybody full 
to the chin before two hours,' says I. The Cap. allowed 
I was jist a-talkin' to hear myself, but all the same, he 
'lowed I might try, seein' as how things was lookin' so 
black. To-be-sure, some of the men was a-lyin' down, 
and fixin' to drop off. One of 'em 'lowed as how he had 
been born with a pipe in his mouth, and was a-gwine to 
take his last smoke, feelin' happy and contented. I told 



92 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

'em as how I was a-g\vine to knock all that nonsence 
in the head, and that they must not igive up till they 
hearn from me again. But they jist wunk their eyes and 
rolled over.'' 

The listeners cleared their throats incredulously at 
this tragic turn of affairs, but Pat continued, as he artis- 
tically severed a piece of comb and cautiously proceeded 
to consume it : 

"Well, I left 'em lyin' there, and knowed I'd have to 
skedaddle or I'd find a fust-class funeral all in full blast 
when I got back. I took a ax and went after a bee- 
tree. And, lo and behold! T hadn't gone more'n a quar- 
ter 'fore I seen a stream of bees a-comin' out'n a big 
forked cypress. I fell to choppin' on it,, and hadn't much 
more'n got through the sap, when out popped a stream 
of honey as big as my arm." A most energetic yawning 
interrupted the narrator at this .moment, but he daunt- 
lessly continued : 

"Maybe you wouldn't have believe it, but that honey 
was as clear as spring-water, arid I cotch my hat full the 
fust thing. 'But gosh !' says I, 'that won't begin to be a 
taste for then starvin' critters.' So I took and peeled off 
a big hunk of bark and let it run full. Well, I looked 
through the swamp and seen a 'tater patch on a hill on 
t'other side. I knowed them fellers 'ould want sump'in' 
'sides 'pyore honey, so I run over there, and it wan't no 
time 'fore I was a'grabblin' them 'taters. Yes, a big 
flop-eared hound did make for me, but about the time 
he come "yoogle, yoogle,' atter me, I gin him a dost from 
my rifle, and you know them there pills alius gits in their 
work " 

At this supreme moment a solitary bee wandered past, 
and perhaps l3ecoming angry at the coolness with which 
we had appropriated his hard earnings, surely and quick- 
ly selected Pat's upper lip for his resting place. The 
struggle was short and sharp. Pat danced the can-can. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 93 

making havoc with some of our honey, and it was with a 
sad eye and pulsating Hp that he resumed his seat. His 
remarks were brief but to the point, as had been the 
iincounter with the angry insect, and when we. ventured 
to ask whether that was the kind of "pills" he had re- 
ferred to, he looked dangerous. We wondered what 
became of the starving "reegiment" that had lain down to 
die, but we were not enlightened any further as to their 
fate. Pat went about with an overhanging lip and a 
dogged determination to say as little as possible. " 

We then cut several other trees, and secured as much 
of the honey as we could carry home in our improvised 
knapsacks of saw-palmetto. We brought home enough 
honey to last for several weeks. Even at this day, the re- 
gion around Lake Winder is rich in bee-trees and honey, 
and people sometimes go as far as thirty miles to get a 
stand of bees from that vicinity. 




CHAPTER IV. 

IN WHICH A COMPANY OF SOLDIERS GET SHORT OF 

RATIONS, AND THE READER IS INTRODUCED 

TO A REMARKABLE FAMILY. 

I beg my readers to excuse me for recurring to an 
incident which might have come under the head of "War 
Reminiscences;" but, at this day and time we can, 
through the agency of n»emory, enter the battlefield and 
view the strife without fear of stray bullets and the ter- 
rors of those days have given place to the quiescent 
recollections, which still form the darling theme of many 
a veteran in the evening of life. As this will probably 
be the last of my *'war series," I hope the reader will 
patiently hear me through the recital of an adventure of 
mine which, while perhaps devoid of dramatic or sensa- 
tional detail, is none the less strongly impressed on my 
memory. 

First, I will introduce you to our camp, situated on the 
east side of Pease Creek, half a mile from Fort Meade, 
on a little stream called Sink Branch. You observe that 
the surrounding country is high, rolling pine land, but as 
we cross a low ridge covered with willow-oaks, we come 
suddenly upon one of the wonders of this remarkable 
region. IMaking our way through the tangle of myrtle 
and palmetto, we suddenly behold, lying at our feet, a 
crystal-clear spring, bubbling up with great energy. The 
spring is twenty feet across and is fathomless. In all 
probability this spring is fed through some deep sub- 
terranean passage, by the waters of Pease Creek. The 
water is deliciously cool and as pure as mountain dew. 
Under the shade of some overhanging willow-oaks, we 



96 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

pitched our tents, and I doubt if we could have found a 
better camping-spot in South Florida. 

We rose from an invigorating breakfast of fresh veni- 
son, on the morning of the loth of May, 1857, and assem- 
bled respectfully together, to receive commands for the 
day's service from our Captain, William B. Mosely, of 
the Florida Mounted Volunteers. (Captain Mosely was 
a son of ex-Governor Mosely, of Florida, and was one 
of the best men I ever knew. The soldiers were all much 
attached to him. He once owned a large tract of land 
on the Heights, near Palatka, and I believe is still liv- 
ing.) For many days previous we had not been called 
upon to perform any serious o^ exciting duty, and had 
deported ourselves as hunters, rather than soldiers. But 
now, something more" serious was before us. Captain 
Mosely told us, briefly, that we were to go on a scout and 
gather in the few Seminoles who were yet out of the fold. 
In other words, we were to penetrate a region which, at 
that time, was almost entirely unknown and untraveled. 
That, too, in the face of rumors of the ugliest sort, con- 
cerning the dire fate' of certain venturesome parties who 
had penetrated into this unpeopled wilderness in search 
of game, but no animal came near them, except the black 
vultures which found their poor, starved and shriveled 
corpses near some bay or hidden stream, where the lost 
hunters had lain down to die, in despair of ever getting 
home again. The distance to be traversed was some- 
thing near a hundred miles, and the "Jo^i^^^^ ^^^ Muer- 
to"* that lay between, held out but little inducement to 

*The "Jornada del Muerto" (Spanish "Journey of Death") 
is a long strip of land lying west of the Rio Grande, where trav- 
elers often perish for want of food and water, while trying to 
cross the great soda plains. In the Florida "Jornada," however, 
tlie traveler suffered only for want of food. Water was plentiful, 
and only the lack of game and the sparse population rendered 
it unsafe for those who attempted the journey. But since then 
the region has become the home of a happy and prosperous 
people. 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 97 

US, although not one of the stout Florida volunteers hes- 
itated for a moment to obey the call of duty. Our des- 
tination was Camp Whipple, where a company of regu- 
lars were stationed. At that place we were to turn over 
our prisoners, if we were so fortunate as to make a cap- 
ture, make our reports, and return to Fort Aleade. 

It was perhaps six o'clock in the morning when we 
shouldered arms and marched forth over the long slopes, 
carpeted with wire grass, which quivered and swayed 
in the morning breeze like a ground-swell on the ocean. 
The cavernous excavations of the gophers, and the little 
hillocks of yellow sand, upheaved by the ''salamanders," 
were the only traces of animal life to be seen in that lone- 
ly spot. 

Then we descended into long stretches of flatwoods, 
covered with a rank growth of blueberry, myrtle, saw 
palmetto and siren-flower. Our eyes were well practised 
in detecting Indian trails, but we utterly failed to discover 
anything whatever. Evidently the wary redskins were 
ensconced in some thick, shady hammock or bay-head, 
not trusting themselves out on open ground. 

And whenever one of these jungles was approached, 
we began to look out for a shower of bullets from the 
hidden foe. Very often had a whole company been rout- 
c^d by a fusilade from a few dastardly rascals hidden in 
the palmetto and bramble, through which they glided 
with the ease of rattlesnakes, when pursued. In the 
hammocks the white man was hardly a match for the 
Seminole. 

We marched along until the end of the second day, 
when our provisions gave out. The farther we went the 
less encouraging became the prospect, and in the morn- 
ing we began to feel serious, for as the sun ascended, our 
appetites rose accordingly, and the wherewith to satisfy 
our cravings was nowhere to be found. From hunting 
human beings, we turned our attention toward huntijig 



98 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

for something to eat. When the day was far advanced, 
and we were faint and weary, one of the men found a 
bunch of comptie, the famous bread-root of the Indians. 
We tried to prepare some of the roots for food, by peel- 
ing them and frying them in the Httle mickle of lard 
we had saved, and we forced down a few spoonsful of 
the wretched mess. It is not necessary to say that we 
vowed to discard comptie from our bill of fare in the fu- 
ture. When prepared properly, it tastes very much like 
arrow-root or casava, although it does not contain as 
much -^-^urishment as either. 

The morning of the third day dawned upon a land- 
scape radiant with dewy flowers, but it brought but little 
comfort to the handful of starving soldiers, who were 
looking as though they were well-nigh exhausted. ''Tat" 
Kendrick and I volunteered to set forth in search of 
Camp Whipple, which we knew must lie within ten miles 
of us. Mounting our ponies we struck out toward Pease 
Creek, and reached the mouth of that stream after two 
hours' ride. At this place we fired off our guns, and were 
rejoiced to hear the answering report of a gun away off 
to the south. We repeated the signal, fearing that there 
might have been some mistake, and again the friendly 
booming of the guns told us that deliverance was near. 
My companion, ''Tat" Kendrick, usually so vivacious, 
witty and full of life, had grown haggard and wan, and 
the few words he uttered were freighted with woe unut- 
terable. His hopes revived, however, when he heard 
the guns. Right here, before I go any further, I wish 
to say a few words about the Kendrick family. They 
were a jovial, fun-loving set of mortals, who often whiled 
away the hours when in congenial company, by telling 
monstrous tales, which by far eclipsed Munchhausen 
or Jules Verne in the richness and grotesqueness of their 
imagination. Finally, "Old Bill Kendrick" became 
known as the "tarnationest story-teller in all Flurridy," 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 99 

and so rapidly did his fame spread, that people began 
to "make allowances" for evertyhing Mr. Kendrick said^ 
whether joking or in earnest. This sad state of affairs 
did not alarm the old gentleman in the least, although it 
did him great injustice, for he was, after all, a sober, in- 
dustrious citizen, his greatest drawback being a light 
regard for the welfare of his own good name. 

As usual, when a person attained distinction in that 
region, everybody was ready to swell his reputation and 
add to his fame. Anybody who could make up a yarn 
on old Billy, repeated it whenever practicable, and many 
of his traducers were his inferiors, when it came to that. 
Somebody, who had very little else to do, told a huge 
story about Billy Kendrick and his brother Tat, which 
represented the latter as having once out-lied his brc»ther 
Bill so completely that the old gentleman was sorely 
grieved, and bowed his head and wept, and .the sound 
of his weeping was heard afar aff — boohooing like a 
colicky baby. I can not at this moment distinctly recall 
the yarn supposed to have been told by Tat, but I think 
it was something about a fish he had caught, which was 
so large that it made a hole in water so big that it was 
three days in filling up. They said that the yarn re- 
formed Bill, and that he quit the romancing business 
then, and for all time. 

Tat Kendrick rode off toward the spot from whence 
the sounds of the gun came, while I returned to the camp 
and reported the good news to our captain. It put new 
life into every man and strengthened them for the jour- 
ney. 

Now, I am strongly tempted to unveil a tragedy which 
was being enacted as I came into camp, wherein a poor, 
helpless gopher was the victim, perishing at the hands of 
a dozen soldiers, but I will not betray my companions- 
in-arms for any consideration. Besides, if I were to tell 
you that the men, with all due reverence and respect, 



100 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

presented the two fore-legs of the miserable little turtle 
to their captain, before consuming the rest with the rel- 
ish of starved vultures, you would not believe it ; so, I 
will remain silent on the subject. 

When we reached Camp Whipple, we were in a sad 
condition ; completely exhausted and half-delirious. We 
were, of course, not allowed to eat as fast as our appe- 
lites prompted, and it Vv'as a long time before we were 
saiislied. We were taken care of in the best possible 
iMr! m:c! , and in a week were able to return to Fort Mead(t. 




CHAPTER V. 

SOME REMARKS ABOUT THE SEMINOLES— DESCRIPTION 

OF THE "GREEN-CORN DANCE," AND 

OTHER CUSTOMS. 

The annals of this decaying race, if written in strict 
obedience to the laws of. truth, and without prejudice, 
would place them in a better light than the one in which 
most people are disposed to regard them. The Coman- 
che and Arapahoe are as inferior to the Seminole, morally 
and mentally, as is possible, in two tribes of Indians. The 
fiendish instinct which leads the wild tribes of the West 
to porlong the death of a captive over a slow fire, is to- 
tally lacking in the red man of Florida. Through all die 
long and bloody strife which preceded the settlement of 
Florida, no well-grounded tale was ever told of a Semi- 
nole putting a captive to death in an unnatural manner. 
He was none the less heroic or warlike, for his lack of 
brutality. In war, his first thought was to subdue his 
enemy at once and forever, with a bullet; the thought 
of a lingering death was not pleas'ant to him. The cus- 
to'.iis and habits of the aboriginees of Florida are not 
such as would grace a parlor or ballroom, but they are 
by no means repulsive. The wild, free life which suits 
them best, has engendered in them a love of freedom^ 
which they know how to figbt for with energy and wear 
with dignity. 

However, the few Seminoles who remain as relics of 
past glory and power, are becoming demoralized, in an 
alarming degree, by the encroachments -of modern civ- 
ilization and "wyomi" (whisky). These po'.ent agents 
have, in a great measure, subjugated the eesta-chatta's 



102 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

wild, unbridled tendency to live and die as free, and as 
innocent of work, as the alligators and herons of his 
native marshes. 

The average Seminole of today scorns any impedi- 
ment in the way of breeches, and seems to think that 
these use of these garments betokens little else but van- 
ity and extravagance on the part of those who wear them. 
The change of the season does not affect his attire, for 
the only garment between him and the world — a stout, 
well-greased shirt — serves him as well in winter as in 
spring. Sometimes they come striding into Kissimmee, 
as stately and en deshabille as a bronze statue of Mer- 
cury. Lately, however, the braves are presented with 
a pair of pants immediately upon their arrival in Kissim- 
mee. Tom Tiger has formed the habit of dressing in a 
becoming manner, and when rigged out in a pair of new 
pants, a pair of moccasins, a bright, clean calico shirt, 
and half a dozen red handkerchiefs around his neck, 
crowned with an immense red turban, no one can help 
admiring him. His splendid figure, and the careless, 
unconscious grace with which he carries himself, will al- 
ways impress the person who meets Tom Tiger for the 
first time. Billy Buster, who is a little older than Tom, 
does not reflect much glory on his ancestry. Billy still 
remains as unregenerated as can be, and disdainfully re- 
fuses to accept the pair of pants usually tendered him 
upon his arrival in Kissimmee. Nobody ever saw Billy 
Buster dressed like a white man, and it's very likely that 
nobody ever will. 

The Seminole language is a curious anomaly of verbs, 
adjectives and nouns. I am almost tempted to say that 
these complete the parts of speech in Seminole grammar. 
The words are almost invariably accented on the penuti- 
mate syllable, and are rich in aspirates and linguidentals. 
Like the Russian language, the Semonile has no article, 
the words "the" and "a" being unknown. I will give 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 103 

the following Seminole words, with their equix-alent in 
English, in lieu of a longer dissertation on the grammar 
of the language, and in pronouncing them the reader 
should bear in mind that all the words are accented on 
the syllable next to the last : 

Ab-bass-wah Bread. 

Soff-kee Grits, or Comptie. 

Po-leg-dah Stool, or Chair. 

Ee-fah E)og. 

Hal-pa-tah x\lligator. 

Ee-cho Deer. 

Che-lok-kah Hcrse. 

Wah-ku-hoo-tee Bull. 

Wah-ku Steer. 

Wah-ku-pos-see Cow. 

Wah-ku-pos-see-ne-hah Butter. 

Toad-kah Fire. 

O-shay Rain. 

To-kabiss-loo Boat. 

The following words form an exception to the general 
rule, having the rising inflection on the last syllable: 

Chan-kee Hand. 

Thath-o Fish. 

Chit-tokkanee-wah Money. 

Chit-tokkanee-wah-katee Purse. 

Lo-kasee Bear. 

The above will suffice to give the reader an idea of 
this barbarous tongue, and will probably satisfy all who 
survive the first trial. 

I do not think there are more than three hundred 
Indians living in Florida at the present day, although no 
accurate figures can be obtained, owing to their shy- 
ness and dread of anything pertaining to "red tape.'' 
Rumor once had it that Jacob Summerlin, one of the fore- 
most of the frontiersmen of Florida, and a cattle-king 
of no mean dominion, once laid a striking and original 



104 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

plan for taking a census of all the Seminoles in Florida, 
which apparently should have succeeded. It was alleged 
that he sent an agent among them to announce that a 
grand festival was to be given at Fort Myers, and the 
whole tribe was invited to partake of it. But the plan 
was a failure. "Holiwaugus — no good !" was the sen- 
tentious reply, and no amount of argument or explana- 
tion could convince them that the invitation did not arise 
from sinister motives. 

. Like most other tribes, the Seminoles consider the 
labors of the field far beneath their dignity. The squaw 
is the farmer, while the brave warrior scours the ham- 
mocks and flatwoods in search of game, or dozes away 
the long summer hours beneath the oak and palm. The 
fine corn and pumpkins, of which I have spoken in the 
first part of my book, were planted and tended by these 
patient, horny-handed daughters of toil. 

Many years ago, I became acquainted with a young 
man named Moore, who had earned quite a reputation 
by his attempts to affiliate with the Seminoles, and be- 
come as one of them. He stayed with them three 
months, and in that period of time saw many of their 
peculiar manners and customs displayed. He often 
spoke of the famous "green-corn dance," which he had 
once seen. Now, I never. was an eye-witness of this pe- 
culiar ceremony, and will have to quote Mr. Mpore as 
my authority for the following description : 

He had been with them perhaps a month, and had 
been initiated into many of their mysteries. In his in- 
tercourse with them he had picked up enough of their 
language to make himself intelligible to them ; his fine 
sportsmanship, unerring aim and unfailing good humor 
had won the admiration of the young braves, and even 
the old, long-headed warriors had begun to regard him 
with less suspicion. Many a frisky squirrel, seemingly 
secure, on the topmost boughs of the towering live oaks 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 105 

and hickories, came whirling to the ground at the call 
of his rifle, and if he "jumped" a deer, there was sure to 
be venison in camp that day. Littleton Hancock, in his 
palmiest days, could not have been a greater terror to 
deer than was this man Aloore. 

As I said before, he had been with the Indians about 
a month, when he saw the dance, and it was in early 
May. One day, soon after the orange blossoms had 
faded in the hammocks, and the tassels were just brown- 
ing over the fields of corn, there were great preparations 
made for some sort of feast, which Moore could not ac- 
count for, and the Indians were not communicative on the 
subject. Great piles of comptie had been dug and 
washed ; many cabbage palms trees were slaughtered, 
and the snow-white buds prepared for the pot. A spot 
of ground was selected in the shadiest part of the ham- 
mock, where three giant-bodied live oaks leaned their 
great arms together, and a large space of ground under 
the trees was divested of its growth of palmettoes and 
bushes and swept clean. A fire of rich pine-knots and 
oak limbs was built in the center, and after awhile there 
was a dee]) bed of live coals. "Phe women came in from 
the fields, laden with green corn, which they husked 
and placed in the embers to roast, while the old men held 
secret council together, and skinned the deer and wild 
hogs brought in by the young warriors. h>om the dark 
recesses of the Coontee-sassa-hollober, the ancient war- 
riors came, bearing venison and bear-meat on their shoul- 
ders ; from the islands of Okeechobee, and the heron- 
tenanted i)rairies and hammocks of the great Coontee- 
seema-pollawuh and Saffaj-eehojee's Town, the dusky 
red legions came trooping to the scene of festivity. 

When the guests had assembled, the chief, glittering 
in war paint and silver ornaments, rose to his feet, and in 
a few words, directed the opening of the performance. A 
circle was formed and a march begun, during which a 



106 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

strange, dirge-like song was chanted; faster and faster 
moved the procession around the fire. On and on they 
svvept, not pausing a moment for breath, until finally the 
yelling, dancing, jumping redskins sank down to rest 
and to feast on the venison, comptie and palm-cabbage, 
which were temptingly displayed on platters of pal- 
metto. The fragrant brown ears of roasted corn vv^ere 
brought forward and distributed among the throng, as 
an emblem of future peace and prosperity. 

Moore said that one peculiar feature of this custom 
was that all fugitives who had been banished from the 
tribes were allowed to return, for- a brief period, even 
when they had been exiled for some grave offense. As 
the procession formed around the fire, there could be 
seen brothers, sisters, parents and sometimes sweet- 
hearts, standing and waiting for the dear one who had 
been long absent. 

At a Seminole wedding, the new couple enter a ring 
composed of two or three dozen dancers. The proces- 
sion moves rapidly around them ; the bridegroom carries 
in his hand a piece of venison, and the bride has an ear 
of corn, which she hands to her husband, saying: "I 
will provide bread if you will furnish the meat." Where- 
upon the warrior presents the venison to his squaw, and 
repeats his part of the formula. 

Moore also witnessed a war dance, in which over fifty 
braves participated. While they were forming a ring, 
preparatory to commencing the dance, the chief hid him- 
self in the densest portion of the hammock, and no one 
dared approach him ; some mysterious rite was being 
celebrated, which must not be witnessed by profane eyes ; 
perhaps a consecration of body and soul, to the god of 
war. In the meantime, the solemn, measured minuet 
began ; in deep chest-tones, the warriors sang the song 
of battle, their voices rising from a low wail in a minor 
key, to a roar like that of an alligator. Suddenly, with- 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 107 

out the least warning, the chief came bounding into the 
midst of the ring. The circle widened, leaving him plenty 
of room for his wild leaps and gyrations, and the yells 
of the excited savages rose to the highest notch. The 
chief took a stick of sour-orange wood, on one end of 
which was a carving of a man's head ; thrusting this in 
the ground, in the center of the circle, he drew his long, 
bright hunting-knife, brought it down upon the carved 
head, and went through all the motions of scalping. 
Then rose the death-song : 

Ecah-esah-'ali-lee — 
Ecah-bosah-a'h-lee ! 

Wah-luck-luck-luck — 

Wah-luck-liick-luck! 
Wah-lucklo-mali-ali-lee ! 
Olucklo-wah-ah-lee ! 

The orgies were now at the highest pitch, and it would 
not have been safe to jump into their midst, at that mo- 
ment. Moore said that he "lay low and sung easy," 
while that w^ar-dance was oging on. After the ceremony 
of scalping was ended, the panting braves subsided, and 
they proceeded to stow away an incredible amount of 
comptie and venison. 

An Indian needs but one cooking utensil. A brass 
kettle takes the place of pot, stew-pan, oven, basin and 
bucket, and great care is taken to keep it polished 
brightly, (hi rainy days, the squaws whittle out spoons, 
and that completes the list of table-ware, for the eesta- 
chatta hasjio use for cups or dishes. 

Seminoles have very strict ideas of social virtue, and 
any of their number — male or female — who oversteps the 
iDOunds of chastity, is severely punished. Perpetual ban- 
ishment has often been inflicted on those who broke 
the laws in this respect; Billy Bowlegs, a former chief 
of the Seminoles, was condemned to wander apart from 
"his tribe, for a long time, as a punishment for some 



108 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

misdeed of a similar nature. Tom Tiger once brought 
his squaw to town on a visit, and while there, of course, 
she attracted a good deal of attention. One of the ''big 
men'' of the town invited Tom and his squaw to take 
a boat ride with him, on a neighboring lake. Tom ac- 
cepted the invitation in silence, but eyed the eesta-hotka 
distrustfully, all the while ; with an Indian's keen per- 
ception, he concluded that the white man was not actu- 
ated solely by a desire to please him and his squaw, 
and he prepared himself for some unfair trick. But the 
pale-face had no such intentions ; the Indians interested 
him, and he wished to learn some of their peculiar ways. 
He learned a good deal. Actuated by a sudden burst of 
gallantry, he seized Mrs. Tiger's hand. Tom raised his 
gun, and with a "Holiwaugus !" that would have startled 
anybody, ordered the boat put about for land. Tom 
and his squaw hustled ofif down the river to Rosalie. 
He never brought his squaw to that place any more, 
and it is very likely that that white man generally man- 
aged to be absent, whenever the Indians "painted the 
town red." 




CHAPTER VI. • ■ 

NED MARK AND MYSELF TRY OUR FORTUNES ON IN 
DIAN RIVER— A NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH. 

Many and varied have been the descriptions of the 
Indian River region, and it is not an easy task to traverse 
untrodden ground in speaking of it at this day and time. 
Sidney Lanier dreamed his sweetest dreams under its 
feathery cocoa pahiis, and tells us, in glowing words, 
hov/ his heart was enthralled by the weird beauties of 
the enchanted river. Audubon, the great naturalist, en- 
trapped the purple gallinule and roseate spoonbill in its 
silent marshes, and left for succeeding generations a 
record of the wonders of that region, and now when the 
blase lourist has become surfeited with the scenes of the 
West, he often comes to the shores of Indian river, to 
forget the fatigue and ennui in the charms of the bee- 
hunting, mullet-catching, and chasing that noble animal, 
the bear. And if he wishes to descend, at one flop, from 
the sublime to the ridiculous, he takes a ''grain" in his 
hand, and impales the festive stingaree. This animal 
(which is also called "the bob-tail end of creation") will 
receive proper attention farther on. 

I was more fortunate than many other mortals, in the 
selection of a birthplace, and have always been proud of 
my good judgment in choosing Florida as my native 
State; indeed, that is the only act of my life of which I 
can make much boast. Having been born in the semi- 
tropic zone, 1 did not have to go through the initiating 
process, like the people who come here late in life. And 
as the years increase, I lose not a ray of the sunshine 
that surrounded my infancy, and 1 might well say that 



110 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

the Florida of half a century ago was not more pleasant 
than it is today. The people, with their steamboats, 
railroads and other big projects have turned things 
around completely, making a new country of it. And 
in the midst of all this, the old stagers are all having 
their say, about how it ''used to was." Now my turn has 
come. ' 

The chilling winds of November, A. D. 1858, were 
causing the orange trees to huddle their limbs together 
for warmth and protection, when my companion, Ned 
Marr, and myself concluded to forsake our bachelor 
quarters on Tampa Bay and seek more congenial sur- 
roundings on the east coast. Our objective point was 
Honey Branch, which had attracted my attention when 
I passed through the region several years before. The 
greater part of the remainder of the year was consumed 
in reaching our destination, and when we got there, the 
first act of our administration was to build a hut of poles 
and palm leaves. We were well supplied with knives, 
forks, tin plates and other kitchen utensils, having attend- 
ed to all business of that description before we left 
Tampa Bay. The spot selected for our future home was 
a shady nook, in a cabbage palm grove, within a few 
feet of the river. Taking a sharp hatchet, I sought out 
some slender poles from a hammock near by. Each 
pole was about eight feet long, and had a crotch on one 
end, formed by the short stump of a limb spared for that 
purpose. The other end was hewn to a sharp point. 
One pair of poles was cut three feet longer than the 
rest. I stuck the four short poles in the ground, form- 
ing a square of about fourteen feet ; the long poles were 
placed in the middle at the ends, so as to give the roof 
the proper slant. Other poles were used to finish up the 
framework. Meanwhile, m}^ friend Marr was by no 
means idle. 'Taking a sharp hatchet, he climbed the 
trunks of the palm trees by means of dead leafstems, and 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. Ill 

cut off the great green fronds or leaves; depriving tl.ese 
of their stems, he piled them up near the frame of the 
hut. Then we both went to work, and at the end of two 
days had a roof over our heads and a cosy place to sleep. 
In all this piece of architecture there was not a particle 
of iron, everything being lashed together with strips of 
palm leaves. 

Full of peace and contentment, we moved into our 
new quarters. I can not describe the exquisite sense of 
comfort I experienced when, after a day of brisk fish- 
ing and hunting, I lay down to rest beneath a roof of fra- 
grant palm leaves ; and what music the rain did make 
as it pattered overhead ! Never more will I see such 
days of unmixed pleasure ; never again can I pass such 
nights, fanned by the cool breeze, and lulled to sleep by 
the murmur of the rain. But this isn't business — this 
straying off the track — and I will finish the description 
of our palmetto hut, by saying that it was perfectly water- 
tight, and built to last ten years. 

Marr and I, in seeking this region as a home, were 
filled with the idea that we could make our fortune in an 
orange grove. As well as I can remember, the "orange 
fever" did not fully break out until the fall of 1858, but 
the few who were stricken had it bad, and my comrade 
and I were among the earlier victims. Reports of enor- 
mous returns from small investments in orange groves 
reached us from time to time, and fired our ambition to 
*'go and do likewise." 

In one respect, we succeeded admirably. The spot 
we selected for the scene of our operations was one 
which left nothing to be desired, as far as nature went. 
A cool spring of water lifted its crystal waves into the 
sunlight within easy reach of our door; Indian river, 
with its untold wealth of fish and fowl,. spread out to 
the east of us, and we had onl}^ to shoulder a gun and 
enter the hammock to supply our table with bear or tur- 



112 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

key. Deer were so common that we let them go, some- 
times, out of sheer contempt. We cleared about an acre 
in the hammock, where the soil was blackest and deepest, 
and grubbed leisurely along until we had prepared ground 
for about two dozen trees. We found a wild grove not 
far away, and transplanted a few of them where we 
thought they would do the most good. But when the 
leaves began to have that rich, golden hue which the 
ripe fruit possesses, and speedily turned into so many 
dry, withered sticks, we gave up in despair of ever mak- 
ing an orange grove. W^e planted them among a tangle 
of roots, and in taking them up, chopped ofif nearly all 
their side roots, while the tap roots were lopped off 
without mercy. The only wonder is, that they lived as 
long as they did. If I had practiced a little less sports- 
manship then and went about the orange business in 
the right way, and entered that fine tract of land, I 
would be worth, today, fifty thousand dollars more than 
I am. 

Thus the winter was whiled away and spring came. 
Our nearest neighbor, Capt. John Houston, lived fifteen 
miles away to the north, on Elbow Creek, at a place now 
called Eau Gallic. But when we got our supplies, we 
had to take a boat and row about thirty miles southward 
to Fort Capron, where Maj. William Russell kept a little 
grocery store. The Major supplied the people for leagues 
around with the necessaries of life, and his store was the 
Mecca of many a long pilgrimage. 

In the month of May it fell to my lot to take such a 
journey. I entered a boat and, taking enough dried veni- 
son, onions and roasted potatoes along to keep me alive 
for three days, set out for Fort Capron. The first night 
I camped in a hammock, near the river side. The moon 
was just rising and showed up everything plainly. I 
was intently engaged in picking up dry sticks to make a 
fire, when I looked up and was startled at the sight of a 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 113 

bear sitting on his haunches within five feet of me. He 
was a monster. How in the world it was that I came 
so near the bear without alarming him I never could 
imagine. I groped wildly for the hatchet, and if it had 
been found I could very easily have brained him on the 
spot. Finding that the hatchet was determined to elude 
my grasp, I yelled at the top of my voice. Such a jump 
as that bear gave ! Talk about your deer, but that bear 
made better time (and more noise) than a runaway team 
of mules, as he tore through the hammock. That was 
the last of the bear episode, and I will now proceed to 
conclude this chapter by the recital of something none 
the less true, but a little more serious. 

One day in early June I took a stroll out toward the 
head of the St. Sebastian, which was not more than two 
miles away. I was looking for bee-trees, and entered a 
scope of country that contained but little water. It was 
Friday — unlucky day ! — and I encountered something 
that afternoon which came near cutting short my thread 
of existence. 

The weather was warm and I became very thirsty. 
No water appeared to exist in that region at all, but as I 
was hurrying back home my eye fell on a green, grassy 
spot off to the right, and upon closer inspection it turned 
out to be a small dried-up pond, covered with a rank 
growth of maidencane, and a clump of willow trees in 
the center. Very naturally, the first thing I thought of 
was water, and in I walked. I wore nothing on my feet 
but a pair of moccasins, and should have known better. 
I had nearly reached the clump of willows, when a blow 
was struck on my foot which nearly knocked me down. 
I hastily parted the grass, in order to get a view of the 
alligator — for I felt sure nothing else could have given 
such a blow — and was horrified to catch a glimpse of a 
stump-tailed cotton-mouth snake of immense size. After 
delivering the blow, he wriggled off through the maiden- 



114 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

cane so quickly that I could not kill him, but I saw 
enough to convince me that he was not less than five 
inches in diameter, and a little over four feet long-. These 
hideous serpents are fully as much dreaded as the rattle- 
snake, although their poison does not act so quickly. 
Without a moment's hesitation I rushed out of the grass 
and ran toward home with all my strength. There was 
a sensation like a piece of red-hot iron clinging to my 
toes, where the fanks had struck. At every step the pain 
increased, and it seemed as if a thousand hot needles 
were piercing my body. Worse than all, my leg became 
so stiff and badly swollen that I could not run any more, 
and began to think that death would conie to me in the 
woods, with no help nigh. Three times I staggered and 
fell, and each time it was more difficult to regain my feet. 
With all my power I continued to cry for help, but my 
companion did not hear me until I had reached the border 
of the clearing. He ran out and half carried me to the 
house. 

The poor fellow was almost frantic, and knew not 
what to do. But like a flash of light into the darkness 
of the situation came the recollection of something I had 
heard Dr. Reid, of Savannah, say about his method of 
curing snake bites. He made a poultice of raw onions, 
beaten up fine, and applied to the wound. I barely suc- 
ceeded in telling this to Ed. Marr, when I went into de- 
lirium, and did not regain consciousness until next day, 
when I was surprised to see the injured limb almost as 
large as my body. Marr was bending over me and apply- 
ing a fresh poultice. Faithful fellow ! he never closed his 
eyes once during the night, and had renewed the poultice 
every half hour. Fortunately, we had raised a good crop 
of onions, and I knew that they saved my life. 

The swelling subsided very gradually, and it was two 
weeks before I regained the use of my limbs. Whisky 
is considered the sovereign remedy for snake bites, but 



SCENES IX SOUTH FLORIDA. 



115 



there was not a drop of it within a hundred miles of us^ 
and there is no doubt that raw onions, alone, applied in 
the manner mentioned, will cure any snake-bite, if used 
in time. 

We stayed there until the war broke out between the 
States, when I left for St. Augustine to join the army, 
Ed. ^larr remained at the hut, and the next time I heard 
from him he had gone on that long, swift journey we all 
must take, sooner or later. Among all the dear departed 
friends, there is none who holds a dearer place in my 
memory than this, my companion of the olden time. 



CHAPTER VII. 

INTRODUCING A GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF "ALLI- 
GATOR FERGUSON"— SOME OLD-TIME HEROES. 

It is strange how men will get names fastened on 
them. By some untoward circumstance the unfortunate 
wight gets a ridiculous soubriquet attached to his name, 
which, like a deep scar, lasts as long as the man lives. I 
once knew a man who, by some accident, got his eye in- 
jured. The fi]SL thing he knew everybody was calling him 
"Old Frog-eyed Rill," and another acquaintance of mine 
was christened "Horse-leg Jim," on account of some 
slight obliquity in his make-up. Both men were known 
only by these names. ''Alligator Ferguson" and "Alli- 
gator Piatt" wore their nicknames into the grave. It 
starts, sometimes, from something a person has said or 
done, and often from some personal peculiarity. Here 
in Florida, a man wins a name by his exploits. (I am 
not dealing now with military nomenclature ; for, of 
course, majors, generals, lieutenants and commodores are 
as plentiful as mosquitoes, and a corporal is seen occa- 
sionally.) I am speaking of such heroes as Alligator 
Ferguson and Alligator Piatt, whose fame shall never 
fade from the minds of those who were witnesses of the 
great havoc made by these men among the alligators, in 
good old days gone by. Not from any fancied resem- 
blance to the saurian tribe, nor from any amphibious in- 
clination, were these gentlemen graced with the names 
above mentioned. The titles were fairly and honorably 
won, and as substantial and unfading as any you ever 
heard of. 

Alligator Ferguson didn't confine his operations to 



118 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

any particular portion of South Florida; from Tampa to 
Biscayne Bay, and from the saw-grass fields of Lake 
Apopka to the shores of Okeechobee, he created con- 
sternation among the scaly denizens of the marshes, and 
I think he could lay claim to having killed more alligators 
than any other man living. He made his bed among 
them, ate among them, spent many months among them, 
as his only companions, and it is probable that he hardly 
ever thought or talked of anything but alligators. The 
gigantic .snarls and growls with which they communed 
together in early spring was the only music which 
charmed his ears. At that time of. the year he knew 
they could be found in pairs, and were more easily cap- 
tured. He stayed among them so long that he became, 
as some people said, almost amphibious. One man 
thought Ferguson's teeth were growing longer, and an- 
other, with an exceptionally keen pair of eyes, was cer- 
tain that the great hunter's skin was growing rough and 
hard, in patches, preparatory to changing into scales. 
Ferguson didn't care a cent what they said or thought 
about him, so long as he could kill big alligators and sell 
their teeth. 

When I first saw him, in 1880, he had given up the 
alligator business and commenced carrying fruit from 
the Ten Thousand Islands to Tampa. He made quite a 
snug, sum from the teeth of the 'gators he had killed, 
and became an expert at the business. Teeth were worth 
from four to five dollars a pound, and sometimes he gath- 
ered, four and five pounds a week. Fie never cared any- 
thing for the hides, although they were worth more than 
the teeth. He said the alligators were more plentiful 
on Fish-eating Creek, but that their teeth were very 
much inferior to those from other places. On the Gulf 
Coast, he said, was the best place for real good teeth, 
and professed a preference for salt-water alligators. 
Tho^.e ths^t live iu salt water are of stouter build, and the 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 119 

head is larger in proportion to the body than that of 
the fresh water species. Some people claim that they 
are more ferocious than the others, but Ferguson didn't 
seem to think so. 

Ferguson was quite an expert at decoying alligators 
within range of his gun. He had a way of barking like 
a small dog, and when he commenced that it was not 
long before you could see their huge snouts sticking out 
of the water. Another way was to take a little dog, or 
pig, in his arms, and twist its tail so that it would yell 
and attract the alligators. A screaming pig will excite 
the interest and attention of any alligator, no matter 
how indolent or phlegmatic. Old Jimmie Yates said that 
he was hunting one spring morning, near Tohopekaliga, 
and had brought a young, fine-blooded dog with him. 
Coming to a deep, round pool, which formed a small bay 
in the lake, he commenced looking out for .alligators, 
which he knew were to be found in that place in large 
quantities. The dog was a little too eager for the sport, 
and jumped into the water. Jimmie said he tried to call 
him back, but the dog was deaf to all remonstrance. 
When he had reached the middle of the pool, he began 
howling and struggling, and looked back appealingly to 
his master for help. In a few moments the dog disap- 
peared and was seen no more. ''Hit riled me awfully 
to see my purp gobbled down that-a-way," said old Jim- 
mie, "and I laid for that 'gator. I wouldn't a-took the 
purtiest fifty-dollar bill you ever saw for that dog, and 
I jest says to myself, I am goin' to make them 'gators 
hop. And I did make 'em hop. I takes my leetlest purp 
and I wrings and twists his tail untwel he hollers like 
as if he was a-bein' killed, and first thing I knowe^, out 
popped the head of a whoppin' big "gator. Then an- 
other one of the big black devils poked his sassy snoot 
out'n the water, and hit warn't no time 'fore the pond 
was teetotally covered with 'em. I never seen so many 



120 SCENES IX SOUTH FLORIDA. 

'gators in the known world ! I shot and shot and shot, 
iintwel I was bodacioiisly out of breath, but I made them 
devils sweat. They eat up my purp (and I wouldn't 
a-took a brand-new fifty-dollar bill for him), but I ever- 
lestinly peppered "em for it." 

It would hardly do to dwell very long on this subject 
without saying something about "Alligator Piatt," an- 
other hero of tl:e olden time, whose deeds were embalmed 
in the lore of South Florida. Piatt was not such a great 
hunter as Ferguson, but what he did was done quickly 
and well, and there was some originality about his ex- 
ploits. Joshua Creek is a branch of Pease, and flows near 
the town of Pine Level, in ^lanatee county. This creek 
was fairly alive with alligators, and here it was that Alli- 
gatoj Piatt exerted his curious talents to the fullest ex- 
tent. Creeping along under the palmettoes to the bank 
of the creek, he peered into the amber-colored depths and 
waited for a victim. When a rippling, swirling spot on 
the water betokened the presence of an alligator, he 
leaned over and poised himself. The gator cautiously 
poked his snout and then his entire head above the water, 
and looked around to see if an enemy was in sight. Per- 
ceiving no danger, he leisurely floated along on the sur- 
face until he caught a glimpse of Piatt's red, excited 
face, and hurriedly proceeded to sink out of sight. Too 
late. Piatt was not going to let his glory as a hunter 
become overcast by any such a slip as that. He plunged 
into the water and dived after the huge reptile. Those 
who stood by. anxiously awaited the reappearance of the 
man. and the immense whirls and swirls in the water 
where he went down showed that he was quite busy be- 
low. In a very few moments Piatt reappeared, in tri- 
umph, astride of the alligator, which he rode to the 
shore, like a horse. A\'hen once he got his thumbs into 
the alligators eyes, it was easily managed, and although 
it was nearlv twelve feet long, no lamb could have been 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 121 

more gentle. Piatt said he could manage the very big- 
gest of them this way, and he advised everybody to pur- 
sue that plan, when attacked by an alligator. 

Ned Beasley was another fellow who earned consider- 
able reputation by his affection for alligators. It was 
told, for an actual fact, that Beasley was more alligator 
than human, and that he was so near cannibal in his tastes 
that he frequently put up a barrel or two of 'gator meat 
to be used in his house during the winter. He grew real 
fat and healthy from indulging in this questionable diet, 
and often declared that no earthly delicacy could tempt 
him from a dish of 'gator stew. His chickens were fed 
on it, and grew to unheard-of proportions. The hogs 
and dogs, however, let it studiously alone. The chickens 
would congregate around the kettle where the oil was 
being "rendered out," and wait for bits of the meat,, 
which Beasley threw to them after the oil had been ex- 
tracted. And it was laughable to see those chickens 
(so it was said) as they staggered off into some shade to 
rest and sleep. 

Somebody asked Beasley how he came to be so fond 
of alligator meat. "Well," he replied, "I'll tell you how 
it came about, and mebbe you won't believe it, and mebbe 
I don't keer whuther you believe it or not." With this 
ornate introduction he proceeded to tell how and where 
he fell in love with 'gator meat. 

"I\Ie and my ole dad was a workin' on a boat one time, 
and there was a whole lot of us fellers workin' together. 
There used to be a 'ole 'ummern as would come 'round 
every mornin' and sell fried fish to us for breakfast. 
Gosh, but didn't them there fish go good ! 'Peared like 
they jist slipped down by theirselves. Finerly, the ole 
'ummern brung a fish around one mornin' that beat any- 
thing I ever hearn tell of. I ne^^er seed sich a fish in the 
known world ! She had it fried in meal and pepper, and 
it was so big that she had it strapped on a piece of fence 



122 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

rail so she could lug it on her shoulder. When we was 
a-eatin' of it, we axed the ole critter whur she cotch it, 
and she tole us hit was cotch down on the Ellifiars (the 
Alana river), and when we axed her what breed of fiSh it 
was, she said it was somethin' like a trout, only hit eat a 
heap better. And hit shore did go mighty good. Dad 
'lowed he never head in all his born days seen a fish with 
sich a big backbone. (You see, that 'ere fish's back- 
bone was every bit as big as my arm.) And he said hit 
was mighty cur'ous that there wan't no ribs, nor no lit- 
tle bones in it, and he'd be blowed if he seed any sense in 
the thing, nohow, and he said he wan't a-gwine to swaller 
nary 'nother bite untwel he knowed what he was a-eatin'. 
(After all the meat he'd gobbled down !) Finerly, the ole 
witch tole us we'd been a-eatin' 'gator-tail for break- 
fast. You jist orter a-seed them there fellers makin' 
fer the edge of the boat, with their fingers in their throats, 
a-strainin' and a-groanin', like as if they was distracted. 
But all their cuttin' up didn't do no good; the 'gator 
was down, and hit was a-gv/ine to stay down. They 
couldn't throw it up to save their lives. Dad was for 
givin' the ole 'ummern a good duckin', but I wouldn't 
have no sich doin's ; 'sides, you see, I kinder liked the 
truck, anyway, and dad had already said he'd seen a heap 
wuss meat in his time. Dad said he might a-knowed 
hit wan't fitten to eat by hits not havin' no ribs nor no 
bones, but a whalin' big backbone. The ole 'ummeni 
never come foolin' around our boat no more, and even 
now dad hain't got no use for no kind of fish.'' 

Beasley delighted in palming off alligator meat on his 
guests, telling them it was corned beef, ''jist in from 
Fulton Market." After the feast was over it was funny 
to him to see the expression on the men's faces when he 
told them what they had been eating. 

I have no idea what Ferguson is doing now, and I 
can not say whether Piatt and Beasley are alive yet or 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 123 

not. Rut Alligator Ferguson, Alligator Piatt and ''ditto" 
Beasley will always remain as monuments of example to 
those to whom dog and gun are sacred. "Uncle" Jimmie 
Yates is enjoying a hearty old age, surrounded by ch'iU 
dren and grand-children. If you were to pay Jimmie a 
visit, he would take you out in his grove and insist on 
your feasting on some of his oranges. Then he would 
probably give you a greater treat than all — one of his 
Indian stories. A written account of these things inter- 
ests some people, but it is incomparably better to hear it 
from the lips of the old heroes who went through it all. 
And nobody can be more entertaining than Uncle Jim- 
mie. Should you ever visit Kissimmee, you would do 
well to call on him. 




CHAPTER VIIL 

SOME OF THE CURIOUS AND INTERESTING INHABITANTS 

OF THE INDIAN RIVER REGION. 

If, in any of these statements, you think I have painted 
"things that are not, as though they were," and given to 
*'airy nothings a local habitation and a name." why, of 
course, you have a right to investigate. But I will again 
say that I have started out to tell the truth (regardless 
of the difiBculties and temptations involved J. for, if my 
conscience should wear out, there would "be plenty of old 
stagers around the State who would be ready to let me 
( and others ) know, if I strayed from the path of veracity. 
Xow, with this explanation, here goes. 

Pidn't I promise a description of the celebrated stin- 
garee? Xobcdy that has ever been to Indian river is 
considered up with the times unless he has seen this king 
of aquatic nuisances. We will, in imagination i^and with 
your consent) translate you from your cosy home to the 
coquina banks of Indian river. The time of the year is 
July — a time when you can get a good idea of mid-sum- 
mer life in this region. Xow you make a discover}- ; there 
are mosquitoes! You ask me why I didn't mention that 
fact before: and I comfort you by the explanation that I 
thought it would be a source of more satisfaction to both 
of us if I left you to make the discovery- yourself. But, 
after all, there are not so many of the little vampires as 
you think: the shrill cry and bold advances of the few 
that encircle your head, give you the impression that the 
countr}- is alive with them. But even if that were the 
case, there are so many other things of beauty that you 
will forget the little minnesingers. If we go out yon- 



126 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

der on the bosom of the river, I can show you something 
new, that for pure, unadulterated cussedness and curios- 
ity is unexcelled. 

If I were a poet I would try to make you forget the 
mosquitoes by raving about the sunset ; how the reflec- 
tions of the palms in the painted waters are broken up^ 
and twisted into million augers and corkscrews by the 
night breeze that is springing up, and would point to the 
whippoorwill, or bull-bat, sweep downward almost to 
the water, with a croak that is echoed down the river. 
But we are on the lookout for stingarees, and must give 
them our undivided attention. The water beneath us is 
clear, and we can see the curious creatures crawling and 
walking on the bottom ; we see horse-shoe crabs, sea- 
porcupines, tarpons, saw-fish, sharks, and many other 
things very distinctly, and they don't seem to be very 
much afraid of us. Hold ! don't get excited, that isn't a 
stingaree, that's only a poor, harmless "bishop ;" he looks 
ugly enough, with his tawney hide, with white spots on 
him, and his eyes are both on the top of his head, about 
as close as they can be, and he looks like he wanted to 
raise a row with somebody, but he won't hurt you. Now 
ir you want to see a stingaree, look right ahead. You 
can't see him very well, he darts about so actively; so 
when he is speared and brought into the boat, he serves 
our purposes better. This is a small specimen — only 
three feet long. 

The body, in such a speicmen, is about one foot across, 
and nearly round. It is slate-colored, and three inches 
through the deepest part. On each side, it slopes to a 
thin edge, a flapping motion of which impels them for- 
ward. The tail is round, an inch in diameter, tapering 
to the size of a lead pencil, and has a rough, gristly sur- 
face. The eyes are situated about three inches from the 
nose, and are close together, small and wicked-looking. 
Its mouth is underneath the front part of the body, and 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 127 

it don't have any teeth worth speaking of. But the pe- 
culiarity which gives the stingaree such importance, is 
the sting. It ornaments that part of the back, where the 
tail joins the body, is hard and bony, tapering to a very 
fine point, and is covered with sharp fibres, which point 
downward, so that it is very difficult to extract from a 
Wound. A sting on such a specimen is four inches long, 
and it is able to inflict a ver}^ painful v/ound, which is a 
long time in healing. An irritating substance, secreted 
by this barb, wdiich, while never fatal (as far as I know), 
is often productive of evil results, such as marasmus and 
chronic ulcers. 

You can wade about among them, where they are 
swarming as thick as leaves in autumn, but they will 
never try to harm you, if you don't step on th^m, for 
they are not aggressive. 

The whipparee is very much like the stingaree. The 
only difl'erence is that the tail is somewhat longer, and 
the sting is lacking. The tail is very tough and pliable, 
and is often used as a buggy whip, and as such will stand 
many years of hard service. I imagine that you shiver 
wdien I remark that these hideous creatures are very often 
eaten. Xo, the people don't eat the whole animal ; the 
thin edges of the body — commonly called "wings" — are 
the only parts that are considered fit to eat. I sampled 
this luxury once, and although I managed to survive it, 
I wasn't troubled with any ambition to try it again. It 
tasted a little weak and fishy, and after indulging in a 
dish of stingaree, my digestive apparatus was a icted 
with a peculiar "ever-present goneness," neither to be 
imagined or described. Where there is such a boundless 
wealth of fish and fowl that are really delicious eating, I 
would advise no one to bother with stingarees. They 
should be the dernier ressort — the last dodge of a starv- 
ing hound. With this, I drop the stingaree subject, as 
one not pleasant to handle. 



12S SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

The sharks of the Indian river are not very dangerous, 
and if a man falls overboard. 1 don't think lie need fear 
that he will make a Jonah of himself. The shark of 
Indian river, according to ihe account of persons who 
ought to know, does not possess the dignity of the white 
shark which follows in the wape of ships, and has to turn 
on its back before it can bite. They say that the Indian 
river shark has a mean way of slipping up behind a man 
that is wading, and nipping as big a piece as he can out 
of the calf of the man's leg. generally disappearing with 
his prize before the surprised and startled individual can 
make any remonstrance. I hardly credit this, but I have 
heard some pretty well founded stories of men havinsf 
been killed and eaten by the sharks in Indian River In- 
let. But don't be scared, for if you will only be half-way 
careful, you will never die by a shark. 

Titled peers and noblemen, from all parts of Europe, 
were once as plentiful on Indian river as you please, but 
vither on account of the disappearance oi i^ame. or a 
complication of interesting affairs at home, they are not 
so common nowadays in that region. The pink curlew, 
or roseate spoonbill, is not esteemed at all as an article 
of food, but its splendid plumage causes it to be an ob- 
ject of great value to the hunter. A roseate spoonbill, 
captured alive, sometimes sells for a hundred dollars. 
Snowy egrets, blue herons, and ducks of several kinds, 
were once to be found here "world without end." Any- 
thing richer and more succulent, in the line of game, than 
the young teals, widgeons and grease-ball ducks, one can- 
not well ' imagine. If they had not been so wantonly 
destroved, regardless of breeding seasons and everv- 
thing else, it would still be a sportsman's paradise ; as it 
now is, a man can find a good deal of sport, but in a great 
measure the glory of former days has departed. There 
are still plenty of water turkeys, purple gallinules. 
and blue herons. But the "Johnnie gogglin" is worthy 



SCENES JX SOL'JJi FLORIDA. IZ'J 

of a little special mention. This ^reat bird, which is als(j 
called the "whooper," stands, when full grown, nearly 
five feet high, and when it takes its flight through the 
pine woods, greeting the rising sun with a clear, trilling 
cry that resounds through the still morning air, it will 
always command the attention of the hunter. ^J'he flesh 
of the gogglin is very much like venison. The black- 
winged curlew, or '*flint-head,'' whose bills are so ponder- 
ous that they cannot hold their heads erect, and many 
other interesting things might be described, but it would 
take too long. 

The mullet that are caught here, in the middle of 
September, are the fattest fish I ever saw. I have seen 
rolls of fat fully an inch thick in many of these fish. 1 
was once present when a haul was made, on a seine in 
Indian river, where ten men found is impossible to raise 
it. After raising the foot-line and letting out about fifty 
barrels of the mullet, the rest were secured. Words 
cannot describe the delicious tenderness of these fish 
when first caught. But the highest luxury, in the way 
of an eatable, that I know of, is a pompano. This fish 
is by no means common, and, although the largest speci- 
mens hardly ever measure more than twelve inches in 
length, they sell for no less than twenty-five cents apiece, 
and command a ready sale at that price. They are more 
plentiful on the west coast than the east. Then we have 
the drum, that grunts like a hog; the grouper, the red- 
snapper, and the saw-fish, which often attains a length 
of eighteen feet. These great fish sometimes get en- 
tangled in the turtle nets, and at such times are danger- 
ous to approach. I have seen the fishermen cautiously 
come up alongside of the saw-fish, in a boat, and, with a 
blow of a heavy, sharp ax, sever the long, serrate snout, 
cutting it ofif near the eyes. Of course the fish could not 
live long after such treatment. 

I will conclude this chapter by telling a story I once 



130 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

heard, on James Russell, who is still holding forth on 
Indian river, I believe at Fort Capron. Now, it was 
alleged that Jim and three others went out into a dry- 
willow marsh, where a great many alligator holes were 
to be found. (In dry seasons, these holes have no water 
in them, and are generally tenanted by alligators of 
medium size. There are more of these '*dry holess" 
around Southport than any other place I ever saw.) 
Jim carried a rope with him, but the most persistent ques- 
tioning failed to reveal his purpose in carrying it, until 
the field of future conflict was reached. The hole was 
two feet across, and when Jim slapped the side of the 
cavity, a loud hissing, coming out of the dark depths, 
told that there was a 'gator down there. Jim Russell 
fastened one end of the rope around his waist, and in 
tones that could not be misunderstood, commanded the 
men to hold the other end, while he descended and laid 
hold on the reptile. ''And," he added, '\vhen I say 'haul 
away,' you haul." So saying, he crawled into the hole. 
Louder and fiercer became the hissing, and a churning 
sound betokened the alligator's efiforts to hide himself 
from the enemy. Jim's boots disappeared into the dark- 
ness, and soon a faint, smothered "Haul away!" told that 
Mr. Russell had secured his prize, and desired a whiff of 
fresh air. The alligator was evidently in close quarters, 
and the musk of his anger, rising from the hole, mingled 
with a murmur of cuss-words, told that the struggle was 
nearing a crisis. The men pulled until they "saw stars," 
and at last they brought the weary, panting pair to the 
surface. Jim was muddy, and the rope had pinched him 
in the waist considerably, but he had his alligator. 



CHAPTER IX. 

A FEW WORDS ABOUT PHELPS, THE KING OF BEAR- 
HUNTERS, AND HIS INTERESTING COMPANIONS. 

If ever a man deserved th^ surname of Nimrod, it was 
that man Phelps. His very soul seemed to leap within 
him at the thought or suggestion of a chase after big 
game ; bear was his favorite game. He had roamed with 
Fremont over the Rocky mountains, and caused count- 
less grizzlies to tumble down the canyons in a death 
struggle ; even the mountain eagle, wheeling around his 
eyrie among the beetling crags, and looking down "a 
thousand fathoms' depth of nether air," was not safe 
from his rifle, for his climbing powers were equal to his 
marksmanship. But evidently, the transition from the 
rugged cliffs of the Rocky Mountains to the quiescent 
lakes and level stretches of Florida hammock and pine 
woods did not betoken a wane in his ambition as a sports- 
man. He found the alligator a rather cowardly citizen, 
and the bear of the Indian river hammocks was tame 
when compared with the grizzly, but its flesh was better, 
and in eating it he grew so robust and jolly that he never 
looked back on the old scenes with regret. 

I met him in 1854, about the time his fame began to 
spread in the Indian River region. In those days you 
could hardly leave 3^our house for ten minutes without 
encountering a deer or bear. The old cow-hunters of the 
surrounding country considered themselves "tip-top" at 
bear-slaying, but they all acknowledged the superiority 
of Phelps. They told some great stories of his extraor- 
dinary skill in that line ; s?iid that he could take aim and 
kill a bear a hundred yards distant, simply by sound. 



132 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

the darkest night that ever came, and some were ready 
to swear that he was in the habit of following trails by 
scent, as well as any of his dogs. Everybody knew or 
felt that he was something great, and I, among others, 
was anxious to make his acquaintance. 

We came upon him in a hammock one day, surround- 
ed by his dogs, and eating bear meat. The dogs looked 
hungry at us, and beat their tails on the ground, but a 
word from; their master appeased them. (They were 
fearful beasts.) Phelps came forward and invited -us to the 
feast ; an ofifer which was accepted with gratitude, if not 
with etiquette. Taking our seats on the mossy trunk of 
a fallen live oak, and seizing each a bone, draped in fat, 
tender flesh, we made a most hearty meal, a la cracaire. 
Our host was glad to have met us ; his eyes lighted up, 
and he looked gleeful at the prospect of having an audi- 
ence for his latest bear tales. For, next to hunting and 
eating that lordly game, he liked to tell of his exploits. 
I wish I could recall one of these yarns ; I am sure it 
would astonish and amuse you. 

Phelps was clothed in raiment of cotton, dyed with 
the bark of the red mangrove. (This gives cloth a beau- 
tiful purplish brown color, and , when treated with a 
mordant like alum or copperas, will hardly ever fade. 
Some long-headed Yankee may yet find his fortune in 
red mangrove bark. If he wants to try it, he can find 
any amount of the raw material around the, south coast.) 
His hunting shirt had been rendered perfectly water- 
proof by the oil from the fat bear meat which he was in 
the habit of carrying on his shoulders, and his long, 
black hair shone with a fine lustre, from the same cause. 
Sickness to him was a myth, and medicine an insult; 
while he could imbibe liberal draughts of sweet, limpid 
bear oil, what cared he for wind or weather? 

His dogs were not less remarkable than their owner. 
There were five of them, and the features of the blood- 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 133 

hound seemed to predominate. Phelps had procured 
them from Capt. Douglass Dummitt, of orange grove 
fame, and trained them himself. Like most dogs of this 
breed, they were silently ferocious, and seemed ever to 
yearn for a victim ; they were all formidable, but Rowdy, 
the leader w^as simply a terror. I looked on him very 
much as a rabbit looks on a big cat. Those watchful 
eyes of his seemed never to close, and his jaws dropped 
just enough to show an armory of teeth as cruel as Cer- 
berus, and as relentless ^s death itself. He was white, 
with black spots. Our hero was well provided with 
defenders, but not the least of his possessions was his 
rifle, which he called "Ruin." He purchased Ruin from 
Capt. Miles Burnham, who had it made to order in New 
York, at a considerable outlay, and it was the most per- 
fect weapon of the kind then in use. 

In the evening, after he had finished the most impor- 
tant task of the day — the supper of bear's flesh and palm- 
buds — he laid himself to rest, as if no company was pres- 
ent. Underneath a palmetto shed, he unfolded and hung 
up his forty yards of mosquito netting, and extended him- 
self on the soft Mackinaw blankets he had brought from 
the Rocky Mountains. Then, raising the netting a lit- 
tle, he called each dog — Rowdy first, and then the others : 
and they came, just as their names were called, and took 
their places around their master. Then, with the invinci- 
ble Ruin nestling by his side, he drifted ofif into a dim, 
shadowy land, where bears were as plentiful as mosqui- 
toes, and much easier killed. With those sleepless sen- 
tinels around him, I cannot imagine what he had to fear. 
Such a cordon of watchers might make a night's sleep in 
an East India jungle, one of security and peace. And 
you may rightly judge that those dogs received good 
treatment. Every morning they received a liberal allow- 
ance of hominy and bear oil, together with what bits of 
meat thcv wanted. Phelps assured me that he would 



134 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

sooner go hungry any time, than see his dogs suffer for 
something to eat. ''The man that strikes a dog of mine, 
strikes me/' was a frequent remark with him. What 
an expression ! As if that man could be found who 
would dare such a thing! It would have been strictly 
a personal matter between the man and the dog, to be 
settled in a very short time, to the decided detriment of 
the former. 

Usually, a bear is not of a very aggressive turn of 
mind, but I heard something once which gave me a 
different opinion. Phelps, Jim Russell and Captain Davis 
were rusticating on Lake Worth, and they had found a 
fine' camping spot. Bear signs were abundant, and the 
outlook for a huge run of sport was very encouraging. 
The day was spent in making all possible preparations 
for the hunt next morning. (It was their intention to 
turn out before daybreak in the morning and surprise 
the bears while they were napping.) Late in the after- 
noon the party went on a reconnoitering tour, so as to be 
well posted when the chase was begun in the morning. 
It was some time after dark when they returned to sup- 
per. While they were eating they heard heavy steps 
approaching, and before they could utter a word a huge 
bear strode into the camp. "Not a moment stopped or 
stayed he," to ask permission of the proprietors, but 
walked right into their midst, almost brushing against 
one of the men and rushed at a dog who was sitting near 
by. That startled animal, finding himself decidedly at a 
disadvantage, took to his heels, with the bear in hot pur- 
suit. Round the camp they went, and the men stood 
stock-still, gazing at the strange spectacle in powerless 
and speechless amazement. Finally, Jim Russell rushed 
down to the boats, which were on the margin of Lake 
Worth, about two hundred yards away, where the guns 
had been left. Before he returned, the big beast had 
vanished, and nothing could be done, but quietly sit 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 135 

down and finish their supper. Jim Russell — who is still 
living- on Indian river — said he never could account for 
this strange freak, and thinks it is the only case of that 
kind ever known. 

Our hero's tales of triumph and adventure were nu- 
merous and varied, but his favorite theme was his en- 
counter with ''Old Slewfoot," a bear of prodig-ious dimen- 
sions, that had tantalized the old hunters in that region 
for years, appearing at intervals and giving them a 
glimpse of a huge back and shoulders, only to fade away 
•into the recesses of Pepper Hammock, where the utmost 
efforts of his pursuers failed to reveal his hiding place. 
This hammock took its name from the wild pepper which 
grew there in great abundance. Old Slewfoot once had 
a fight with a panther, and bore a memento of the con- 
flict on his left fore-foot, which had turned "wopper- 
jawed," and made a track easily recognized ^by all who 
had heard of him, and gained him the name above men- 
tioned. 

• To kill Old Slewfoot became the dearest ambition of 
Phelps' life. Creeping under the palmetto, in the som- 
bre shades of the hammock, morning and evening, endur- 
ing the bites of mosquitoes, red-bugs and seed-ticks, 
with his trusty hounds along with him, he hunted the old 
veteran for two months. One morning, the bell-like 
tones of his big dog Rowdy waked him to the sense of 
something important. Hastily slipping on his moccasins 
(it was about daybreak), he slung Ruin across his shoul- 
der and ran toward his dogs, who were creating a fearful 
racket in the hammock, two or three hundred yards away. 
*'If they've treed him — if they have treed him!" was his 
only thought, as he rushed along. 

Yes, Old Slewfoot was in close quarters. The dogs 
were all around him, and Rowdy was about to reach his 
throat, when old Ruin delivered a message in lead and 
flame that made the cool morning air quiver for miles, 



136 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

and the great animal reared and fell at a conqueror's 
feet, never again to roam through the shady hammock. 
The voice in which each old hunter congratulated Phelps 
on this exploit v^as tinged just a little with envy, for 
they all imagined that the bear was their lawful prey, 
and had a kind of idea that no interloper should take 
such advantages. But when the time of feasting came, 
each old worthy enjoyed a good quantity of the meat. 
Thus did Old Slewfoot'find, at last, a warm place in the 
hearts (and stomachs) of those who had been his bitter- 
est enemies. And Phelps understood just how to cook- 
bear meat, if anybody did. 

Let me tell you of a favorite dish of his, and then I 
will close. You know, a great many people throw away 
the feet of a bear. Well, Phelps didn't. After clean- 
ing them thoroughly, he boiled them in plain water, for 
two or three hours ; then he would stew them up some 
way with onions and palm buds, and you couldn't, for the 
life of you, tell what kind of meat it resembled ; but you 
knew one thing — but few delicacies were equal to it. If 
I had that dish for dinner every day now, I would un- 
doubtedly be a healthier (and probably a better and wis- 
er) man. 




CHAPTER X. . 

GIVING MY READERS MY IMPRESSION OF THE FLORIDA 
KEYS— A SOJOURN WITH PROF. CURTISS. 

When you take up a map of Florida, one of the objects 
which strikes your attention, is a long row of little dots 
for islands, extending in a long, oblique group, around the 
southern extremity of Florida, graced with innumerable 
names, each with a ''Key" attached to it. These are 
known as the Florida Keys, and many who have never 
visited them are often heard to ask what the keys con- 
sist of,- and want to know ''what they are good for." My 
object in writing this chapter is to answer these, queries. 

In the year 1880, Prof. A. H. Curtiss was detailed, 
by the Department of the Interior, to obtain a complete 
collection of Southern woods, and it was my good for- 
tune to be able to act as guide for him, on this important 
trip. On the morning of the 6th of May, we started out 
from Key West, in a sail boat, and headed for Boca 
Chica. ;\fter a sail of two or three hours, we landed on 
the Key, and prepared a camp. The Professor had in- 
vited Mr. Ashmead, of Jacksonville, to accompany hmi. 
and as we had made every conceivable preparation r:»r 
the journey before leaving Key West, there was npthing 
to put a damper on our spirits. The afternoon was spent 
in exploring the island and gathering plants. The soil 
was very rich, covered with sea-grape, wild sappadillo 
and dog-wood trees and vines. There did not seem a 
very promising field for collecting specimens, so we made 
our visit as short as possible. The Professor was desir- 
ous of reaching a locality where specimens were more 
abundant, and the scenes which lav ahead were looked 



138 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

forward to with pleasant anticipations. Our time, which 
had not been hmited or fixed by any arbiter, must never- 
theless be put to the very best possible use, and we 
hastened onward, actuated by a desire to seek out the 
habitat of all the forest trees, common and uncommon, 
that were to be looked for in this sunny latitude. 

Next morning we "weighed anchor" and proceeded 
on our journey. The morning was calm and bright, and 
the breezes still slumbered on the waters, which lay 
unruffled before us, shaded by the reflections of the trees 
on hundreds of little islands or keys, behind, before, and 
around us. Of course we made rather slow progress, 
and until a slight breeze sprang up, I was afraid we 
would do nothing at all that day. We drifted idly among 
the keys, and did not pass them rapidly enough to pre- 
vent an examination of some of their peculiarities. Oc- 
casionally a column of smoke, arising from a solid pha- 
lanx of banana and lime trees, showed that the key was 
inhabited On the shore, a deer occasionally jumped into 
sight and then disappeared in the bushes, about the time 
a discussion was begun as to the propriety of stopping 
and having some sport as well as venison. The usual 
size of these smaller keys was about a mile, and some- 
times we encountered some containing no more than 
forty acres, while others were many hundred acres in 
extent. The width of these curious bodies of land was 
never equal to the length ;■ in many cases a key two 
miles long was scarcely a half mile wide, and covered 
almost entirely with lime-rocks. Around the borders 
was a dense growth of mangrove and button-wood, which 
often hid the interior of the island from view. 

Buttonwood makes better fuel than any wood I ever 
saw. A log of buttonwood, set on fire at one end, will 
burn to ashes before the fire goes out, and generates an 
intense heat. The wood is collected on the keys and 



SCENES IX SOUTH FLORIDA. 139 

shipped to Key West, where it brings from five to seven 
dollars a cord ; it is about the only fuel used there. 

That evening we landed at Little Pine Key, something 
near fifteen miles from Boca Chica. We stopped here, 
simply as a matter of necessity, for the island was litile 
else but a long, irregular pile of lime-rocks, covered 
sparsely with pine trees of small stature. To the west, 
about three miles away, v^e could see Big Pine Key, 
with its tall pines and mangrove thickets. These are the 
only keys on which pines are found. 

On that morning we were favored with a fine breeze, 
and it did not take us long to reach Knight's Key, and 
all day we wound in and out among the archipelago of 
keys which stretched in every direction, as far as we could 
see. 

At 10 o'clock next morning we came to Matacomba 
Key, and were given a cordial welcome by Messrs. Pin- 
der and Sanders, and it may be easily imagined that we 
were glad to find ourselves among human beings once 
more. Matacomba was two miles long, and not much 
more than one-fourth of a mile wide, bordered with a 
beautiful white sandy beach. As usual, the soil was 
rocky, and it was a source of continual surprise to me 
that such luxuriant forests could grow on land like this. 
Not only forest trees, but many varieties of semi-tropical 
fruits and flowers, made themselves perfectly at home 
in this halcyon spot ; well might they lift their heads fear- 
lessly into the warm, brine-laden air, for no modicum 
of frost ever reached their home, and the tenderest ex- 
otic might never find its ambitions checked by an un- 
kindly blast. 

Our newly-found friends spared no efifort to make our 
visit a pleasant one, and it was with much interest and 
pleasure that we inspected their gardens of tropical fruits. 
Here, indeed, was the very home of the pine-apple. At 
that time, thev had made but a modest beginning, but 



140 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

since then, I have heard that they have made some im- 
mense shipments in the last year or tw^o. The manner 
of cultivation was peculiar. No hoe could be used, on 
account of the extreme shallowness of the soil. The 
truth of the matter is, that the ground could not be stirred 
for fear of its blowing away and leaving nothing but the 
bare rock. But you could not throw a plant down with- 
out its taking root, so favorable were the conditions for 
growth. The plants were set out about eighteen inches 
apart, and then left mainly to themselves. One weeding 
was considered sufficient, and the soil was not stirred 
at all. The severe droughts that prevail on the Florida 
Keys, at times, do not affect the pineapples very seriously. 
Indeed, I have been led to believe that they are more than 
half air-plants ; lately, the botanists have established a 
very palpable relationship between the air-plant, long- 
moss, and pineapple, and that is one point in favor of my 
theory. At any rate, I have always noticed that they 
grow- much better on dry soil than in a damp location. 

I doubt if the Professor or ]\Ir. Ashmead had ever be- 
fore enjoyed such an abundant and protracted feast of 
pineapples, and I (Floridian that I am), can truthfully 
say that I had never eaten so much of the luscious fruit. 
Sappadillo, pawpaw, and sugar apple trees were loaded 
with young fruit, and it was quite tantalizing to reflect 
that we were there too early in the season to enjoy any 
of the ripe fruit. We consoled ourselves, however, with 
looking for specimens. Before I leave the subject of 
fruit-growing on this key, I wish to say a little about 
i"hc cultivation of bananas, etc. 

On different portions of the island were little patches 
of deep soil, called by the inhabitants "red holes." These 
curious spots are from fifteen to thirty feet in diameter, 
and take their name from the peculiar reddish color of 
the soil contained in them. Scarcely any rocks are found 
in these spots, and the fruit-growers select them on thnt 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 141 

account, as a place to plant bananas and tropical fruit- 
trees. Dwarf bananas are the only kind grown to any 
extent on this key, and, although the plants are of low 
stature, the heads are very large, and sometimes are so 
long that they touch the ground. These red holes are 
not found on every key, and are valued highly by the 
planters. 

For nine days we remained on Matacomba, and the 
ax was kept busy, and our negro, Dave, displayed great 
energy in felling the trees, under the Professor's direc- 
tions. Here we found fine specimens of prince-wood, 
crab-wood, lignum vitae, torch-wood, and Madeira-wood. 
Torch-wood is almost as fine-scented as sandal-wood, and 
is very inflammable. Crab-wood, which finds its way 
to Northern markets in the shape of walking-canes, was 
found here in abundance. The wood is valuable and is 
worth at least fifty dollars a cord, notwithstanding the 
•fact that it was being used for fuel on this key. It would 
wca y the reader to give the name and description of 
each tree we saw at this place, and I will content myself 
with the remark that on no other key did we find a greater 
variety of woods. 

The nine days of our sojourn at Matacomba were cal- 
culated to remain as bright spots on the memory of the 
three principal actors in the affair, and we were really 
sorry to turn our backs on this lovely, sequestered spot. 
It seemed to us that we had seen the garden spot, and 
that the coming scenes would prepare us for disappoint- 
ment. A certain subtle, inexplicable air of comfort and 
content about the place had not failed of its effect upon 
us, and in reviewing the favorable features of the sur- 
roundings, I almost forgot the charms of Indian river. 
But the voice of duty reminded us that we must seek 
new fields, and extend our investigation among the semi- 
tropical forests. 

Plantation Key next received our attention. But a 



142 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA^ 

brief glance in the interior showed us that the prospects 
for a new collection were not flattering. The main ob- 
jects of interest were Mr. Low's pineapple field and co- 
coanut grove. Here we saw thirty acres planted in pine- 
apples, covering the ground completely, and gay with 
ripening fruit. Ah, wasn't that a spicy breeze that sa- 
luted us, when we landed ? Sated as we were with the 
fruit we had eaten at Matacomba, we still could not help 
enjoying the rich fragrance of the breeze that swept that 
precious expanse of green, purple and gold. The crop 
that year was coming on finely, and Mr. Low was count- 
ing on cutting at least eight thousand dozen pineapples. 

Pleasant as the prospect was, we could not stop, and 
soon the green island with its long colonnades of palms 
was left behind, and our sail filled with a noble breeze,, 
which bore us in the direction of Key Largo. At the key 
we formed the acquaintance of Mr. Baker, one of the 
first men who ever thought of raising pineapples on the 
keys. This is more than twice as large as any other 
key, being twenty-five miles long, and averaging nearly 
half a mile in width. "Largo,'' in Spanish, signifies 
"long," and the name fits this key very well. 

Key Larga was well timbered, but as there was no 
prospect of finding any new specimens, our stay was 
short. Two days afterward we reached the Indian hunt- 
ing grounds, on Biscayne Bay. This was my second 
visit to this wonderful region, and we all entered it with 
pleasant anticipations. I was not going into an entirely 
strange land, for I was sure of meeting Mr. John Addi- 
son, and old-time friend of mine whom I had known for 
th,irty years. The first thing we did was to penetrate the 
dense green wall of hammock which rose up before us. 
Here, indeed, was a lavish wealth of pure, undefiled na- 
ture ; huge trees of gumbolimbo, red-stopper and mastic 
towered away above us, and the graceful trunks of innu- 
merable palms met our eyes on either side. A strange 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 143 

but not unpleasant odor was exhaled from the ground, 
where centuried logs and leaves from spicy tropical trees 
w^ere mouldering into dust. We found a tree which, I 
believe, could not have been found anywhere else in 
Florida. This was the so-called paradise tree — a lovely 
specimen of the vegetable kingdom. It was forty feet 
high, covered with a wide spreading crown of leaves, 
of a delicate, sea-green tint, which gave the tree an ex- 
tremely handsome appeaarnce. When we found this 
tree, the berries were just ripening, and we were deprived 
of the opportunity of seeing the flowers. Judging from 
the descriptions of those who were well acquainted with 
the paradise tree, the flow^ers must be marvelously beau- 
tiful. 

We found John Addison snugly hidden away in this 
hammock, with his dwelling almost hidden from sight 
by a grove of fine banana plants. Frost was unknown 
at this place. On Addison's farm we saw the finest of 
sugarcane and Jamaica arrowroot growing. No orange 
trees were to be seen, but limes and lemons were doing 
w.ell. (It is a curious 1;ut undisputed fact that orange 
trees can not be grown on the Florida Keys, nor on 
such land as the Indian Hunting Ground. Unsuccessful 
attempts have been made to raise them in these places, 
but the rock which underlies the soil prevents the tap- 
root from penetrating deep enough. And you very sel- 
dom see a cow about the Hunting Grounds. The old 
settlers say that there is some i)oisonous grass growing 
in the woods which kill the cattle. A cow is very seldom 
seen on the Florida Keys. But there are so many good 
points about this part of the country that you would be 
well satisfied to forego cattle and oranges.) 

I don't renicmber how many new varieties of woods 
we found here ; there was the red and black-stopper, the 
blolly tree, and the cocoa-plum, the "pull-and-haul-back" 
— a thornv tree or \'inc, whatever vou nia\- call it. for it 



144 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

partakes of the nature of both — and the rubber trees. 
Dave served us faithfully, and he and his ax were potent 
agents in getting together one of the most complete col- 
lections of forest trees ever made in this or any other 
country. Dave made the chips fly with a zeal that re- 
flected great credit on his race, but there was one time 
when he refused to obey commands. And that time he 
had a pretty good reason for it. It was when we were 
on Boca Chica, and it was a manchineel tree that excited 
Dave's fears. After listening to a description of the ter- 
rible properties of this tree, Dave swore that we might 
ask any other duty of him, but that he would not touch 
that manchineel for anything. He described, with a shiv- 
er, the dire consequences attendant upon cutting the tree ; 
one stroke of the ax, he said, would be sufficient ; the 
milk, which is found in this tree in great abundance, 
would be scattered over him, and everywhere a drop 
fell there would be a frightful sore. The manchineel 
is terribly poison, but not so bad as Dave believed. 

We divided our time between the Hunting Grounds 
and Miami, and sta3'^ed in that region about ten days. 
Before we left we secured the greater part of the collec- 
tion. While at the Hunting Grounds (which didn't very 
well deserve its name, for game was by no means over- 
abundant), we were astonished at the springs, which 
burst up in the salt water, near the beach. Truly, they 
were wonderful. Wading out twenty-five or thirty yards 
from the shore, we could see the fresh water springs rip- 
pling up through the brine, and we tried some of the 
water to see how it tasted. Knocking out both heads 
of a barrel, we placed it around a spring, and carefully 
bailed the salt water out. Soon the barrel was half full 
of cool, sweet drinking water. There were a great many 
of these springs, and some of them were of quite good 
size. I do not remember having seen anything like it, 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 145 

before or since, and am inclined to believe that it is a 
first-class curiosity. 

We made arrangements with a man to carry the speci- 
mens to Key West, and then journeyed to the Gulf coast, 
where the collection was completed. We had gathered 
together forty-four distinct varieties of South Florida 
woods. We were three months on the trip, and came 
back with the consciousness of having seen a great deal 
of Florida, and it was just the impression made on me 
by this trip that led me to write an account of it. My 
compagnons du voyage have each given their impressions 
to the world, and I have tried to do the same. Five years 
have elapsed since the journey was made, and the visitor 
now would have to remember that, about the time he 
thought of taking me to task for some apparent discrep- 
ancy between my description and the country as it ap- 
pears to him. 




CHAPTER XI. 

A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF SOME OF THE TROPICAL 
FRUITS WHICH FIND A HOME IN FLORIDA. 

"The tropical fruits of Florida !" What a nameless 
charm invests this subject for the denizen of a colder re- 
gion, in whose imagination these children of the south- 
land exist only as a dream ! But the thrill of enthusiasm 
awakened by the contemplation of these unseen glories 
must, in a considerable measure, fade in presence of real- 
ity. That is, you must prepare yourself for disappoint- 
ment, if you expect the fruits and flowers of paradise on 
an earthly soil. The fruits I am about to describe are 
objects of interest mainly on account of their' rarity in 
this country, and partly as an undeveloped source of 
revenue to the State. 

Accounts of tropical fruits are as often exaggerated 
as fish or alligator stories. I read a dime novel once 
(reader, it was a good while ago; that's my only excuse), 
I think Wild-Cat Ned, the Bloodhungry Prince of the 
Prairies, was the hero, where the brave lad rescued a 
maiden, single-handed, from a band of savages. The 
scene was laid in a wilderness where all manner of fruit 
was opportunely abundant. There was nothing remark- 
able in all this — I had read of countless exploits of a sim- 
ilar nature before. — but I was astonished to hear that the 
young hero, in looking around for .something for his girl 
to eat, found some delicious ripe bananas "growing on a 
vine!" That disgusted me with that sort of literature. 
There are some big stories told of other fruits. An 
American traveler, in speaking of an East India fruit 
called the durion. or durian, savs that it is at once the 



148 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

most delightful and most disgusting of all fruits. He 
says the odor of a ripe durian is a hundred times worse 
than a whifif from a glue-factory or bone-yard, and yet so 
intensely luscious and rich that the appetite for it 
amounts almost to a frenzy. He gives is as a well estab- 
lished fact that the native women often sell their chil- 
dren, in order to procure the fruit. There is undoubtedly 
such a fruit as the durian, but I hardly think its prop- 
ties are so "agonizing" as one would gather from the 
above description. In our own Florida, the guava plays 
a milder role, but is sometimes roughly handled by those 
who are so unappreciative of the good things of Nature, 
as not to like them. The following incident is said to 
have occurred at Orlando, in Orange county: 

A down-east ankee mounted a "kyart'' belonging to a 
venerable Cracker who had brought some of his planta- 
tion products to town. Sniffing the air vigorously, the 
Yank looked around in the cart and saw a box covered 
with moss. "What have you in here?" inquired the 
descendant of John Alden, bending his eyebrows in the 
•direction of the Cracker, who answered, smilingly : 
"Gwavers." "Great horn-spoon !" gasped the Yank ; 
"now, p'r'aps you'll tell me how long they've been dead!" 
It is said that that Cracker has not yet quit laughing over 
the Yankee's ignorance. 

Very few people like guavas at the first trial. The 
odor is so powerful and penetrating, and is calculated to 
antagonize the senses, until a closer acquaintance is 
gained. The best variety I know of is the large, white, 
pear-shaped kind, and I challenge any one to show me 
any kind of Northern •fruit that will eclipse this prince of 
luxuries. The pink, catley, strawberry, and vinegar 
guavas grow finely throughout South Florida. The fin- 
est specimens of this fruit I ever saw were grown at 
Point Pinellas, on Tampa Bay, in the grove of Vincent 
Leonardy. Guavas will grow, with a little protection, as 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 149 

far north as Palatka and Jacksonville, although it is sel- 
dom met with north of Putnam county. The fruit ripens 
from July to November. 

The Agua Gate, or alligator pear, is not a pear at all ; 
it has one large seed in the center, weighing two ounces, 
in a good specimen. I have seen agua cates (pronounced 
ah-guah cahta) weighing two pounds each. The flavor 
transcends that of the finest muskmelon, and the fruit is 
eaten with salt and pepper. It contains no acid, but its 
rich, marrowy, vegetable-like pulp renders it a fine article 
of food. One full grown specimen is as much as any 
man can eat, and it more nearly takes the place of meat 
than any other fruit I know of. One fine feature of this 
tree is its power of resisting cold. Confident that it would 
succeed as far north as Palatka (notwithstanding the evil 
predictions of a few croakers who styled themselves 
judges of such matters), I introduced some of-the trees 
in 1882. Mr. Dorwin, Yiv. Jackson and others procured 
young plants of me, and the present fine condition of the 
trees attests the favorable action of Palatka soil and cli- 
mate. They can undoubtedly be grown successfully in 
Putnam county, although hardly in such perfection as 
farther South. The best specimens of this valuable tree 
I have seen are growing on the property of John Roble, 
near Tampa. In August, 1880, I accompanied Prof. A. 
H. Curtiss to this place. The trees at that time were 
thirty-five feet high and about fifteen inches in diameter. 
Professor Curtiss pronounced it one of the most beautiful 
that he had ever seen. Such a tree would no doubt bear 
annual crops of fifteen hundred pounds of fruit, that 
would sell readily at eight cents a pound. In Tampa I 
never saw them sell for a lower price than seventy-five 
cents a dozen. The agua cate begins to bear at the age 
of five years. A temperature of 20 dei^rees above zero 
is cold enough, but I think they will stand it for a short 
time. The fruit ripens from August till October. 



150 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

. The mango is a fruit that has many friends, on ac- 
count of its handsome appearance and its novel flavor. 
It is pear-shaped, flattened, and covered with russet- 
brown and greenish-red splotches. The seed is very 
large and flat, the flesh adhering to it very firmly. Just 
the least odor of turpentine, in some of the specimens, 
detracts a little from the popularity of the fruit. The 
tree is exceedingly prolific, and the fruit bears shipping 
well. Mangoes will stand a pretty sharp frost, but I 
wouldn't advise any one to risk too much of it. They 
begin bearing when three years old, and are of rapid 
growth. The long, drooping branches, laden with fruit, 
and the shining red, willowy terminal leaves, are quite 
handsome. The fruit commences ripening in July, and 
the crop is of short duration. 

The sappadillo is one of my favorites. There are 
eight varieties of the fruit, and they are all good ; but the 
egg-shaped variety is the best. The Cubans say : "Es 
fruta muy delicada ;" "The fruit is most delicious." On 
the Keys they attain their greatest perfection. The Cu- 
bans acknowledge the superiority of the Florida sappa- 
dillo over their own. The tree is small, hardly ever ex- 
ceeding four inches in diameter, and the leaves are very 
dark green. The pulp is very sweet and brownish in 
color. Outside, the fruit resembles an Irish potato. Like 
the mango, the sappadillo bears the third year after plant- 
ing, and very prolific. They always command good 
prices in the markets of Key West and Tampa. I am 
pretty sure they can endure a moderate frost without pro- 
tection. The crop, which begins with July, lasts well. 

Probably the largest fruit in Florida is the sour-sop, 
or Anona muricata, called by the Spaniards guanaAana. 
They are simply immense. Four pounds is the common 
weight. The seeds are numerous, small and black, float- 
ing in a snowy, custard-like pulp, which has a fine flavor, 
unlike that of any other fruit. Ice cream and cooling 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 151 

drinks are made of them in Key West. The exterior 
of the fruit is of a greenish color, irregular in shape, and 
covered with soft prickles. The tree, which begins to 
bear at five years of age is a strong grower, and the leaves 
are small and lanceolate. The fruit is rare in Key West, 
and commands as high as sixty cents apiece sometimes. 
In the latter part of August the fruit begins to ripen, and 
is jealously guarded, to prevent its getting injured or 
stolen. A man named Sanders, in Key West, was the 
owner of the largest tree in the city. To prevent the 
fruit from falling and bruising itself during the night, 
he prepared bags of cloth, placed them around the fruit, 
and tied them to the limbs. If the fruit took a notion to 
part from the parent stem during the night, the bag would 
hold it. Sour sops can not withstand frost; I am pretty 
sure of that. I think it is the most delicate fruit grown 
in Florida, and one of the most valuable. 

The Jamaica apple, or cherimoyer, is not at all like a 
Northern apple; the seeds are half an inch long, and flat; 
the pulp is firm and white, with a rich, sub-acid flavor. 
This fruit is not plentiful in Florida ; the tree is small, 
and by no means a prolific bearer. On the Keys is its 
home, where it ripens in August, and it bears in five years 
from the sqed. 

The sugar-apple tree resembles the above, but the 
fruit is very different. It is exceedingly rich ; the pulp 
is like candied honey, with a peculiar grainy texture. Like 
the papaw of the Middle States, and other members of 
the Anona family, the seeds are smooth, round and black, 
and the outside skin is olive-green, with a knotty sur- 
face ; the aroma is fine in the extreme. It can endure 
a moderate degree of cold, but does not bear transporta- 
tion. It commences to bear in three years, and ripens its 
fruit in August. 

The mammee tree is very rare in Florida ; the only 
specimens I know of in the State are growing on Mrs. 



152 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

Gilbert's place in Miami. Professor Curtiss (considered 
the most prominent botanist in the South) passed Mi- 
ami with me, in the year 1880, and we saw these trees. 
They were at that time at 'least thirty feet high, with a 
spreading summit. The leaves were a most vivid green, 
and interspersed with snow-white flowers, fully two 
inches across. Magnificent is a tame word to use in 
connection with these trees. Two of them stood near 
together, one loaded with fruit and the other with blooms. 
The tree is dioecious ; that it, requires two trees to pro- 
duce fruit. I think these are the only specimens of the 
mammee in the State. The fruit is as large as a cante- 
loupe melon, with a dark, brownish skin. Inside it is 
yellow, with a soft, yielding pulp, when fully ripe. If 
I were asked to describe the flavor of this fruit, I would 
have to answer : "It tastes like a mammee, more than 
anything else." It ripens in June, and continues about 
two months. 

The West India papaw (Carica papaya) is not a very 
delicious fruit ; it is as large as a man's head, and is 
ranged around the trunk of the tree, where the crown of 
leaves put forth. In two or three years you may expect 
fruit, if the tree has been planted in soil sufficiently rich 
and moist. Papaws are most plentiful on the coast, 
where the frost protection is fairly good. They will not 
stand a heavy frost. 

I have seen a fruit in Key West, the name of which I 
will write Tee-Ess. It is very rare, and the few trees in 
Key West are valued highly. It looks somewhat like a 
large, yellow plum, but the flavor is something entirely 
new. The Tee-Ess is undoubtedly the costliest fruit, 
to its size, in the State, and is very sensitive to cold. The 
fruit, which ripens in late August, is produced when the 
tree is five years old. 

Tamarind trees are plentiful on the Keys. A most 
delicious summer drink is made from the pods, which are 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 153 

filled with an acid pulp, of a jelly-like consistency. Hand- 
some, indeed, are the long, drooping boughs and bright 
green bi-pinnate leaves, and the tree resembles^ in some 
respects, the honey-locust, without the thorns. It bears 
early and is not injured by a moderate frost. 

The date-palms of St. Augustine bear heavy crops 
each year. Some of them are over thirty feet high, and 
must be fully a hundred years old. The date is dioecious, 
and the fruit, which is hard and of a reddish color, is not 
of much value, as no one seems to understand the art of 
curing it. This secret must be learned before dates be- 
come a source of revenue to the State. 

The India rubber, saifron-plum, mastic fruit, cocoa- 
plum (Chrysolalanus icaco), and custard-apple have been 
mentioned in my Indian War Reminiscences. Bananas, 
pineapplies, and the Citrus fruits have not been touched 
upon, as they are too well known to need any description. 
Of course, I could not enter into detail in regard to the 
cultivation of the fruits described in this chapter; any- 
thing like a satisfactory synopsis of that kind would make 
a book of itself. Much information and pleasure could 
be gained from a thorough tour through Florida. Our 
flatwoods and scrubs are teeming with tropical plant-life, 
and our hammocks abound in fruits and flowers, some of 
which have never found their way into any botany. 



CHAPTER XII. 

IN WHICH THE INEVITABLE FINALE AND DISCLAIMER 

APPEARS— SOUTH FLORIDA IS VINDICATED, 

AND THE PEN IS LAID ASIDE. 

Since that auspicious and eventful morning of Palm 
Sunday, A. D. 1512, when Ponce de Leon lifted the veil 
of obscurity from a land sui generis and unrivalled in the 
gifts which partial Nature had bestowed upon it, Florida 
has smiled through a mist of romance which has not been 
dispelled by the advance of three and three-quarter cen- 
turies. The wild, ambitious dreams of the Spaniards 
who sought the precious metals in our hammocks find 
their counterpart in the eager anticipations of those who 
come here to plant orange groves, fondly believing that 
a speedy fortune awaits them in the "field of the fruit of 
gold." The difference is, that the latter dream is capable 
of realization. 

The title of these sketches does not seek to draw an 
invidious distinction between North and South Florida. 
It so happened that the greater portion of my life as a 
guide, soldier and pilot has been passed in the extreme 
southern portion of the State, and as it did not behoove 
me to enter into details, in any portion of the book, in 
regard to the advantages or disadvantages of any particu- 
lar section of Florida, I can disclaim any intention of 
writing an immigration pamphlet, or an advertisement 
of real estate. The old settlers of Florida here read an 
account of scenes with which they are familiar; the 
stranger is introduced to a region of which he has heard 
a great deal, and every reader may know that the de- 
scriptions are capable of corroboration, for they are all 



156 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 

true. The book will not tell the reader how many orange 
trees can be planted on an acre, or how many thousand 
boxes of oranges those trees will yield in five years, and 
does not even give a hint as to the best place in the State 
for growing them. Not a line will be found in reference 
to any real estate, for I have not a foot of land for sale. 
And I don't think I have made the impression that I 
was trying to persuade anybody to come here. I rea- 
son this way : If you have made up your mind to come 
here, why you are coming, and nobody need try to dis- 
suade you. On the other hand, of course, if you didn't 
want to come, you wouldn't thank anybody for insisting 
on your doing so. But I hope I haven't scared you away 
by any of my descriptions. The stingarees of Indian riv- 
er, and the 'gators of Okeechobee are still "alive and kick- 
ing," but I never hear of their hurting anybody, nowa- 
days. Mosquitoes and mosquito stories are plentiful as 
ever; the lordly Seminole still scours the hammocks of 
Walk-in-the-Water, in search of deer and bear, and loves 
"wyomi" and red handkerchiefs as passionately as ever. 

The enthusiast who wants to come here, should re- 
member that he can't find everything just to his notion; 
he must not lose his religion if he is bitten by a few mos- 
quitoes and sand flies while walking beneath blossoming 
orange trees with the girl of his choice, and if he wants 
to recline at length on the grass in the shade, he must 
not be surprised if the sand spurs pin his clothes to his 
skin. The botanist who penetrates into the rich semi-trop- 
ical hammocks in search of flowers should not grumble if 
he returns laden with red bugs and other interesting little 
creatures who lie in wait in the shady woods, and whose 
name is more than legion. 

In coming to Florida, one should leave kid gloves and 
great expectations behind. And, while many people and 
many papers are saying that this is the poor man's ter- 
restrial paradise, I would advise the comer to bring a lit- 



SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 157 

tie money along with him, "just for convenience's sake, 
you know ;" such little items come in pretty handy some- 
times. As a general rule a double-barreled shot gun will 
kill all the game you will find, without resorting to a 
breach-loader, and the fishermen here are a modest 
sort of men. You hardly ever hear of the capture of a 
very big fish, but what they lack in size is made up in 
quantity. Hunting gophers inland and pegging turtles 
on the coast is by no means on the wane, and although 
these sober occupations are not resorted to by those who 
thirst after the gore of big game, they are sometimes par- 
ticipated in by some of as dignified and respectable per- 
sonages as you ever saw. 

The day is past when you could take up a homestead, 
half hammock and the other half a wild orange grove, and 
when the deer oblingingly browsed within a few feet of 
your door, as if anxious to supply you with venison. 
Once in a while, however, a man is seen who wants and 
expects all these things, and a great many more. One 
of these peculiar specimens of the human race lived (or 
rather stayed) at Tampa Bay, in the year 1858. His 
name was Hunter, and I think he hailed from Georgia. 
That man was the very embodiment of dissatisfaction 
and unrest. According to his own statement, he had 
looked in vain, all over his native State, for a suitable 
place for a "buildin' locayshin," and came to Florida, to 
see if he could do any better. When I met him he was 
dressed in a rather seedy looking suit of clothes, but there 
was a grin of hope on his faded features which told that 
he expected to attain his object, sooner or later. 

''What kind of a place do you expect to find, Mr. Hun- 
ter?" I asked him, one day, as he came sauntering along 
the street. He answered, with a nasal drawl : 

"Well, I'm a-huntin' of a homestead, what has got a 
piece of hammick lend (land) for raisin' gyarden truck, 
and a high pine ridge 'jinin' onto it, fur a buildin' locay- 



.r>8 SCILXES L\ SOUTH FLORIDA. 

shin, with a na-tral spring, and a fust-rate mill-site 
throwed in. I've bin a-huntin' of jist sich a place as that, 
fur five or six year, and I 'spect to git it, atter awhile." 

\\'ith that soft, stereotyped whistle, and that easy, 
shambling step, he vanished form my sight. Sometimes 
he put a couple of pieces of hard-tack in his pocket, and 
sallied forth in quest of the wonderful combination-home- 
stead, and he would be gone for three or four days. His 
"widow and orphans,'' which he was in the habit of call- 
ing his wife and children (with more propriety, perhaps, 
than he was aware of) had to scratch around pretty lively 
for a living, while he was hunting for the "na-tral spring 
and mill-site." and they had perhaps long ago given up all 
hope of his success. 

The moral of the above incident is, of course, that 
you shouldn't come to Florida, unless you come prepared 
to take it as it comes. Hunter's restless disposition would 
not allow him to settle anywhere. It reminds me of a 
yarn I heard of a grandiloquent Yankee, who used some 
prettv big words where they were not needed. A Crack- 
er standing near by, whose mouth had gradually expand- 
ed as he took in the ripple of elegant English, exclaimed 
with a burst of native sarcasm : ''Stranger, if I had the 
eddification you've got, T wouldn't stay here, nor no- 
where else !" 

The "short and simple annals" of the pioneers of South 
Florida might fill many a volume larger than this one, and 
might be made to embrace many thrilling scenes and ad- 
ventures, which as yet lie dormant and unknown to all 
except those who figured in them. Aline has ,bfeen the 
fortune to speak to a larger audience, and should my de- 
sire for the entertainment of my readers be fulfilled, I 
shall be encouraged to give other sketches of life in the 
far South, in another edition, 
f With this, I take leave of you, commending my little 
book to vour kindest consideration. 



CONTEIINITS. 



F>AR-r F-IRST. 

CHAPTER I. 
How the Last Indian War Broke Out — My First Adventure.. 5 

CHAPTER II. 

Our First Capture of Indians — An Ugly Customer 13 

CHAPTER III. 
A Disagreeable Journey, and an Encampment Among the Alli- 
gators 19 

CHAPTER IV. 
Another Journey, and A New Adventure 23 

CHAPTER V. 

A Florida Delicacy — Novel Method of Securing Game 27 

CHAPTER VI. 
A Man Tries Chicken-Hawk as an Article of Food, Without 
Success — We Reach the Everglades 31 

CHAPTER VII. 
A Journey Across the Everglades, and a Promise of an Ad- 
venture 37 

CHAPTER Viri. 
We Emerge From the Everglades and Have a Very Pleasant 
Time 43 

CHAPTER IX. 

Among the Ten Thousand Islands 

CHAPTER X. 
Incidents of Seven Years 

CHAPTER XI. 
A Seven Days' Scout Through the Big Cypress — Clo.sing Scenes 65 



COINITEINTS. 



RAFRT SECOrslD. 

CHAPTER I. 
How Sponges are Gathered and Disposed of at Key West. .... 75 

CHAPTER II. 
Catching the Manatee, or Sea-Cow, on the St. Lucie River 81 

CHAPTER III. 
Hunting Bee-Trees on the Upper St. Johns — A Story and a 
Tragedy 87 

CHAPTER IV. 
In "Which a Company of Soldiers Get Very Short of Rations. . 95 

CHAPTER V. 
Description of the Green-Corn Dance, and Other Seminole Cus- 
toms 101 

CHAPTER VI. 
Ned Marr and Myself Try Our Fortunes on Indian River 109 

CHAPTER VII. 
Introducing a Gentleman named "Alligator Ferguson" 117 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Some of the Curious and Interesting Inhabitants of the In- 
dian River Region 125 

CHAPTER IX. 
A Few Words About Phelps, the King of Bear-Hunters 131 

CHAPTER X. 
Giving My Readers My Impressions of the Florida Keys 137 

CHAPTER XL 
A Short Description of the Tropical Fruits Which Find a Home 
in Florida 147 

CHAPTER XII. 
In Which the Inevitable Finale Is Given; South Florida Is 
Vindicated, and the Pen Is Laid Aside 155 



